Measurement of Volatile Aldehydes in Grapes, Wines, and Musts

Volatile, saturated aldehydes (C1-C9) in wine or aqueous ethanol solutions were derivatized with cysteamine to form the corresponding thiazolidine derivative. Following extraction into chloroform and gas chromatographic analysis, a limit of quantitation of 1 mg/mL was achieved using a nitrogen phosphorous detector. Spiked recoveries in wine were 112% with an overall coefficient of variation of 16%. The derivatization procedure was used to determine aldehyde levels in several wines: acetaldehyde was observed in the highest concentrations in these wines, however, other aldehydes were also often present. During the current year the focus has been on decreasing the variability of the analytical method.