Multiclass semi-volatile compounds determination in wine by gas chromatography accurate time-of-flight mass spectrometry

• Multiclass selective determination of semi-volatile compounds in wine.
• Linear response ranges suitable to quantify natural and anthropogenic compounds.
• Little changes in the performance of the method depending on wines matrix.
• Post-run capabilities for the target screening of new compounds.

The performance of gas chromatography (GC) with accurate, high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for the determination of a group of 39 semi-volatile compounds related to wine quality (pesticide residues, phenolic off-flavours, phenolic pollutants and bioactive stilbenes) is investigated. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used as extraction technique, previously to acetylation (phenolic compounds) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) concentration. Compounds were determined by GC coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) MS system through an electron ionization (EI) source. The final method attained limits of quantification (LOQs) at the very low ng mL−1 level, covering the range of expected concentrations for target compounds in red and white wines. For 38 out of 39 compounds, performance of sample preparation and determination steps were hardly affected by the wine matrix; thus, accurate recoveries were achieved by using pseudo-external calibration. Levels of target compounds in a set of 25 wine samples are reported. The capabilities of the described approach for the post-run identification of species not considered during method development, without retention time information, are illustrated and discussed with selected examples of compounds from different classes.