An Automated Single Interface Flow System for the Spectrophotometric Determination of Ethanol in Beverages Based on Schlieren Effect

Abstract

A new and expeditious automated procedure for the determination of ethanol content in alcoholic beverages (distilled liquors and wine) by using a single interface flow analysis (SIFA) system with spectrophotometric detection is presented. The developed approach was simply based on refractive index gradient measurements, known as Schlieren effect, produced when acidified beverages samples were introduced in a single-line SIFA system that used deionized water as carrier (trailing) stream and a computer-controlled spectrophotometer as detector. In the implemented SIFA system, no chromogenic reagent is used, being the refractive index gradient a consequence of the mutual interdispersion of sample and carrier zones at the formed single interface, and no predefined volumes of both sample and carrier are required, which greatly simplifies system operation and optimization. The proposed methodology allowed the determination of ethanol concentrations between 4% and 24% (v/v) with good precision (RSD < 5.2%, n = 3) and a sampling frequency of about 58 h⁻¹ with consumption of 400 μl of sulfuric acid 0.5 mol l⁻¹ and 400 μl of sample per measurement. The developed procedure was applied to whisky, gin, rum, vodka, the sugar cane-based beverage “cachaça,” and white wine, and the obtained results were in a good agreement with those provided by the reference method (RD < 5.0%). Recovery values acquired in the analysis of spiked ethanol samples (between 90.0% and 111.0% of the added amount) were also satisfactory.