The binding of 4-ethylguaiacol with polyaniline-based materials in wines

4-ethylguaiacol (4-EG) is one of the important compounds responsible for the “Brett character” (i.e. spicy and smoky aromas) found in wines contaminated with Brettanomyces yeast. In this trial, the ability of polyaniline-based materials (PANI-EB and PANI-ES) was tested as a potential fining agent for the removal of 4-EG in wine. First, a screening study was developed in order to determine the binding capacity of 4-EG by PANI materials in 12% ethanol solution. Then, the capturing ability of PANI against 4-EG was evaluated with a solution containing gallic acid (GA), 4-methyl-catechol (4-MC), in which the concentration of the phenolic compounds were maintained as in the real wine. The results obtained showed that the retention percentage varied between 0 to 100% (4-EG), 13.81% to 72.32% (GA), and 0 to 17.39% (4-MC), depending on the interaction time and amount of the PANI used. Finally, the capturing capacity of PANI-EB and PANI-ES against 4-EG was evaluated in a real wine sample containing originally 3.10 ± 0.13 mg L−1 of 4-EG and 2.55 ± 0.10 g L−1 of other total phenolic compounds. The analyses performed indicated that PANI-EB is more effective in removing 4-EG than PANI-ES, with retention percentages varying between 36 and 50%.