Development of a mixed-mode solid phase extraction method and further gas chromatography mass spectrometry for the analysis of 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines in wine

A new method for analysing 3-isopropyl-2-methoxypyrazine, 3-sec-butyl-2-methoxypyrazine and 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine in wine has been developed and applied to wine. The analytes are extracted from 25 mL of wine in a solid-phase extraction cartridge filled with 60 mg of cation-exchange mixed-mode sorbent. Analytes are recovered with triethylamine in dichloromethane and the organic extract is analysed by GC–SIM–MS using 3-isopropyl-2-ethoxypyrazine as internal standard. The detection limits of the method are in all cases under 1 ng/L, below the olfactory thresholds of the compounds in wine. The repeatability of the method is around 15% for levels in wine of 2 ng/L. Linearity is satisfactory and recoveries are in all cases close to 100% with RSD between 13% and 20%. The method has been applied to the analysis of 12 Chilean white and 8 Spanish red wines. The levels found suggest that 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines can exert a significant sensory contribution to the aroma of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc wines, while most likely they play a nearly negligible role on traditional Ribera and Rioja Spanish red wines.