Application of solid-phase microextraction [SPME] to chromatographic determination of fusel alcohols in wines

A majority of the methods used for determination of fusel alcohols in wines by gas chromatography requires separation of the analysed substances from other components, mainly extract constituents, which can hamper the measurements. The aim of this study was to establish whether SPME method can be used for quick chromatographic determination of fusel alcohols in red wines. The studies were conducted on different red wines commercially available on domestic market. It was shown that the results for isobutanol were usually overestimated, while butanol recovery ranged from 97 to 116%, and approximated actual content of this component in the test sample. Sorption of amyl alcohols on fibres was in the range from 82 to 95%. Addition of strong electrolyte, such as sodium chloride, to a wine increased mictoextraction efficiency and precision of chromatographic determination of fusel alcohols.