Gas-Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Volatile Phenols in Matured Distilled Alcoholic Beverages

Abstract

Volatile phenols in matured spirits were determined by gas-liquid chromatography as their 2,4-dinitrophenyl derivatives. Phenol, o-cresol, m-cresol, p-cresol, guaiacol, p-ethylphenol, p-ethylguaiacol, eugenol, and p-(n-propyl)guaiacol, which occurs only in dark rum, were studied at concentrations ranging from 0 to 2 ppm depending on the phenol and the beverage. Scotch, Spanish, and Japanese whiskies, unlike other whiskies examined, contained o-, m-, and p-cresols. Cresols occur in whiskies as a consequence of the raw materials used, in particular peated malt. The level of p-ethylguaiacol is usually somewhat higher in cognac and other brandies than in whiskies. Dark rums differ from the other spirits examined in containing p-(n-propyl)guaiacol, and, typically, higher levels of p-ethylphenol, p-ethylguaiacol, and eugenol. These phenols also occur in higher quantities in some white rums than in whiskies and brandies. Two discriminant functions were obtained by discriminant analysis, which did not, however, allow the spirits to be classified adequately into their respective groups. By using these functions, 82% of the whiskies, 57% of the brandies, and 50% of the rums were correctly grouped.

Gas Chromatographic Organic Acid Profiling Analysis of Brandies and Whiskeys for Pattern Recognition Analysis

“…In the literature, discriminant and classification analysis of the volatile phenols as the aroma components was used for the distinction of rum, brandy, and whiskey (Lehtonen, 1983). Cluster analysis and KNN and PLS methods were applied to 9 components including volatile and less volatile aldehydes, esters, and alcohols for the identification of genuine Galician spirit (Ortiz et al, 1993).…”

Adulterants in Whiskey: Detection and Identification by Principal Component Analysis

“…These tests, together with monitoring the four major congeners, ethyl acetate, l-propanol, isobutyl alcohol and isoamyl alcohol, provide certification of product quality, and can also be used to identify product class (Scotch, Bourbon, etc., Bamett and Einsmann, 1981). In addition to these routine procedures, specialized tests have been developed to monitor many other components such as oak wood steroids, which are the source of flocculant precipitation in whiskey (Byrne et al, 1981), monosaccharides and glycerol (Black and Andreasen, 1974), volatile sulfur compounds (Masuda and Nishimura, 1981), volatile phenols (Lehtonen, 1983), and ethyl carbamate (urethane), a carcinogen occuring naturally in fermented beverages (Brumley et al, 1988). The effect of varying levels of Lactobacillus contamination on whiskey fermentation has been reported by Barbour and Priest (1988), and aroma compounds liberated from oak barrels were the subject of a study by Nykanen et al (1984).…”

Application of multivariate statistical methods to the differentiation of gin brands

“…To meet the first requirement, determination of the volatile compounds by simple analytical procedures has been adopted. Major and minor volatile components have been used by several authors in the characterisation of alcoholic drinks Reiner 1977,1979;Cabezudo et a1 1981;Leegwater and Leegwater 1981;Wencker et al1981a,b;Donath-Jobbagy et a1 1982;Lehtonen 1983;Diez et a1 1985;Battaglia 1986;Cantagrel 1986;Loyola et a1 1987). Multivariate statistical techniques, previously proved effective for establishing the identity of unknown samples (Lisle et a1 1978;Saxberg et a1 1978), were adopted to meet the second criterion.…”