Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Chiral Aroma Compounds in Wine Using Modified Cyclodextrin Stationary Phases and Solid Phase Microextraction

Knowledge of enantiomer composition is key to understanding many aspects of flavor chemistry. As reviewed by Marchelli et al. ( 1 ) information on sensory properties, source ("natural" vs. synthetic), geographic origin, processing/aging treatments, and formation mechanisms (e.g., chemical vs. enzymatic reactions) of flavors in foods and beverages can often be assessed based on enantiomeric composition. Separation of chiral flavors Beginning in the mid 1800's with Pasteur's separation of tartaric acid enantiomers in wine, chemists have looked for improved methods for the analysis and separation of chiral compounds. Derivatization of analytes with chiral reagents to form diastereomers which can be chromatographically separated on achiral phases has been widely employed. For example, one of the earliest successful GC separations was demonstrated by Casanova and Corey in 1961 ( 2; reviewed by 3 ) who separated racemic camphor following derivatization with (R,R)-2,3-butanediol. However, these procedures require use of an enantiomerically pure derivatization reagent and the reaction