Simultaneous determination of organic acids, sugars, and alcohols in musts and wines by an improved ion-exclusion HPLC method

An HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of the main carboxylic acids (including citric, tartaric, malic, shikimic, succinic, lactic, fumaric, and acetic acids), sugars (glucose and fructose), and alcohols (glycerol and ethanol) of musts and wine is proposed. Using a cation exchange column, improved separation of coeluting compounds (e.g., fructose vs. malic acid and succinic vs. shikimic acid) was achieved by moderate addition of tetrahydrofuran (THF) (4%) and n-propyl alcohol (n-PA) (5%) as organic modifier in the mobile phase. A factorial experiment was carried out for optimize acidity and temperature of elution. The method showed good linearity and precision and, as an application, was successfully applied to a must and a win