Development of a Sequential Injection Analysis Device for the Determination of Total Polyphenol Index in Wine

Abstract.

A sequential injection analysis method is developed for the determination of the total polyphenol index in wines. The determination is based on the Folin-Ciocalteu reaction, which is monitored spectrophotometrically. Interactions between experimental variables and their optimal levels were investigated using factorial designs. The proposed system is fully computerised and is able to monitor polyphenol index in real samples of white, sweet and red wines. The calibration graph is linear from 5 to 200 mg · L⁻¹ using Tannic acid as standard, with a detection limit of 3.2 mg · L⁻¹. Interferences are studied. For validation purposes the proposed methodology was applied to the determination of the total polyphenol index in different types of wines and compared with earlier alternatives in order to assess their performance.