Influence of ripeness and maceration of the grapes on levels of furan and carbonyl compounds in wine - Simultaneous quantitative determination and assessment of the exposure risk to these compounds

- Six toxic compounds were simultaneously quantified using HS-SPME-GC × GC/TOFMS.
- GC × GC/TOFMS resolved acetaldehyde and acrolein from other compounds in 2D.
- Difficulties could arise if only 1D-GC was used to determine the six toxic compounds.
- Ripeness and maceration time influence concentration of toxic compounds in wine.
- Wine drinking may pose risk to health due to furan, acrolein and ethyl carbamate.

The validated method based on the use of headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with the comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (GC × GC/TOFMS) proved to be appropriate for this first simultaneous quantitative determination of six toxic compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, ethyl carbamate, furan, furfural and acrolein) found in wines. Acetaldehyde and acrolein coeluted with other wine compounds, which indicated that difficulties could arise if only one-dimensional gas chromatography was used for the determination of these compounds. The advancement of the ripeness degree and increasing the grape maceration time seems to result in higher concentrations of toxic compounds. The exposure to furan, acrolein and ethyl carbamate through wine consumption may pose risks to consumer health, since calculated MOE values were lower than 10,000.