Controlling Flavors in Wine by Measuring Organic and Inorganic Acids

Using a Dionex ICS-5000 system with an OmniPac® PAX-100 Analytical column and IonPac® ATC-HC Trap column, this application demonstrates that ion chromatography (IC) with suppressed conductivity detection is an efficient and sensitive method for monitoring a wide variety of common acids, both organic and inorganic.

Application Note 273: Higher Resolution Separation of Organic Acids and Common Inorganic Anions in Wine applies this approach to four red and white wine samples. Testing to validate the repeatability and accuracy of this method shows that this is a reliable method for determining important organic and inorganic acids in wine. Such determination is helpful because the flavors imparted by wine are in part due to its organic acid composition, which contributes to the overall acidity and tartness of a wine. The maturation of a wine also can be followed by changes in organic acid composition that can create flavors that are either pleasing or undesirable.