A method to determine the most abundant alpha-dicarbonyl compounds in wine
was developed by reaction with 2,3-diaminobenzene. Products such as quinoxa
line derivatives were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (H
PLC) or by gas chromatography with a mass-selective detector (GC-MS) or a t
hermoionic detector (GC-NPD). HPLC and detection with a spectrophotometer (
313nm) were used for routine quantitative analysis of wines. The method is
sensitive, linear and has good repeatability. Diacetyl, pentane-2,3-dione,
glyoxal and methylglyoxal were quantified in a single run; these compounds
are always encountered in wines, but levels vary with different types of wi
ne and also during fermentation and maturation processes. A new dicarbonyl
compound, phenylglyoxal, was found in wine. The evolution of dicarbonyl com
pounds during fermentation is reported in this paper. (C) 2000 Society of C
hemical Industry.