Simultaneous quantification of 4-ethylphenol and ethanethiol in wines by headspace amperometric measurements

Abstract

Simultaneous analysis of 4-ethylphenol and ethanethiol has been carried out since they often coexist in wine samples producing significant organoleptic defects. Dual working screen-printed electrodes have been used for this aim. An activated fullerene C60 modified screen-printed carbon electrode (AC60/SPCE1) was used for the determination of 4-ethylphenol, while a cobalt (II) phthalocyanine modified SPCE (CoPh/SPCE2) was employed for ethanethiol detection. Headspace amperometric measurements were performed applying different potentials to the electrode system, which were coated by a commercial polyamide membrane immersed in supporting electrolyte, for the simultaneous and selective detection of both species in a single run. The constructed sensing dual system presented an exceptional detection performance with a capacity of detection of 2.7 mg/L and 0.2 mg/L for 4-ethyphenol and ethanethiol, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the simultaneous detection of both compounds in wine samples where it demonstrated a high degree of trueness and suitable efficiency.