Estimation of Triterpenes in Wines, Spirits, and Oak Heartwoods by LC-MS

摘要

Pedunculate Quercus robur L. and sessile Q. petraea Liebl oak heartwoods are used commonly in the aging process of wine and spirits. During maturation, the ethanoi content of these beverages extracts bitter and astringent compounds such as triterpenes. The authors have extracted, separated, and quantified four major triterpenes from heartwoods using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method in a selected-ion monitoring mode. They used echinocystic acid as an internal standard. Because of their hydroxyl and carboxyl functions, these molecules provided intense deprotonated molecular ions. The authors discuss reproducibility and detection limits and apply the proposed method to the quantification of triterpenes in wines, spirits, and heartwoods of several origins.