Analusis 26, 142-144 (1998)
DOI: 10.1051/analusis:1998124

Headspace GC-SCD monitoring of low volatile sulfur compounds during fermentation and in wine

D. Rauhut¹, H. Kürbel¹, K. MacNamara² and M. Grossmann<sup>1

1</sup>  Fachgebiet Mikrobiologie und Biochemie, Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim, Von-Lade-Straße 1, D-65366 Geisenheim, Germany
²  Irish Distillers Limited, Bow Street Distillery, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland

Abstract
A rapid and reliable method for the determination and quantification of volatile sulfur compounds in wine is reported. The analysis was carried out with an automatic headspace injection sampler combined with a cooled injection system and coupled with a gas chromatograph and a sulfur chemiluminescence (GC-SCD) detector. The calibration curves were calculated in a wine with a very low amount of sulfur compounds. As internal standard ethyl methyl sulfide was used. In dependence on the S-compound the detection limit was in the range of 0.1 to 3 g/L. A linear response was obtained up to a concentration of about 100 g/L with an average correlation coefficient of 0.998. Major advantages are the small sample volume (3 mL), the high repeatability or reproducibility and a short total analysis time.

Key words: Low volatile sulfur compounds in wine / automatic headspace technique / sulfur chemiluminescence detector.


© EDP Sciences, Wiley-VCH 1998