ELSEVIER Journal of Chromatography A, 765 (1997) 337-343 JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHYA Determination of twenty eight biogenic amines and amino acids during wine aging by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and laser-induced fluorescence detection • a b • . a a • b G. Nouadje ' , N. Simeon , F. Dedieu b, M. Nertz , Ph. Pulg , F. Couderc'-"* aZETA Technology, Parc Technologique du Canal, 31520 Ramonville-Toulouse, France bl-xlboratoire de Chimie Analytique et Bromatologie, Universit~ des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, 31062 Toulouse Cedex. France ¢Laboratoire de Biologie Mol~culaire Eucaryote, IBCG du CNRS 1/8 Route de Narbonne. 31062 Toulouse Cedex. France Received 3 June 1996; revised 25 October 1996; accepted 28 October 1996 Abstract 28 biogenic amines and amino acids were quantitated in red French wines over a 14 year period by micellar electrokinetic chromatography separation and laser-induced fluorescence detection of fluorescein thiocarbamate derivatives. The grapes were grown in the same wine yard, under identical conditions, and the wines were made under fixed standard procedures. A pattern of evolution of amines and amino acids during wine aging is given. Principal component analysis indicates some correlations between the different amino acids and biogenic amines. A discussion on the behavior of amino acids during wine aging is presented. Keywords: Wine; Laser-induced fluorescence; Micellar electrokinetic chromatography; Amines; Biogenic amines; Amino acids I. Introduction Amino acids are significant factors in the growth of yeast and bacteria that produce wine. They are present in the mature fruit of Vitis vinifera and accumulate in the berries during maturation [1]. In addition, in wine science, it is generally accepted that free amino acids contribute to the wine's aroma, taste and appearance [2]. The amount of each amino acid, in wine and must, varies widely according to variety [3,4], yeast and bacteria strain [5], region [6], treatment [7] and age [81. Because amino acids are poorly affected by al- Corresponding author. coholic fermentation they have often been chosen as labels for the different varieties of grapes [3,4]. Free alanine, glycine, valine, serine, proline, cysteine, methionine and tyrosine in the total amino acid fraction were especially affected by vintage year, in a 2 year period [8]. Yet, the evolution of the different amino acids found in wine during aging has been poorly studied over a long period and results are quite difficult to interpret [3]. The longest period studied for wine ripening has been 7 years in some Portuguese vineyards [3]. The use of this kind of analysis has been demonstrated to be useful in identifying a variety of different wines [3,4,9]. Otherwise, yearly treatment of wine and climatic change are the most influent parameters on amino acid composition. To our knowledge, no attempt has 0021-9673/97/$17.00 Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved PII S0021-9673(96)00925-9