Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Assisted Simple Clean-Up of 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole and Ethylphenols from Aged Red Wines

Some compounds lend positive aromas to wine, while others give unpleasant odors. Among the latter, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), 4-ethylphenol, and 4-ethylguaiacol are compounds associated with the detrimental aspects of wine quality. Molecularly imprinted polymers are synthetic materials with artificially generated recognition sites able to specifically rebind a target molecule. The aim of this study was to determine how the application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) and nonimprinted polymers (NIP) could eliminate TCA and ethylphenols from aged red wines. Results show that no significant differences were observed when TCA was retained within the NIP or MIP, whereas 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol were retained more with MIP at 92.3% and 89.4%, respectively. The behavior of other volatile wine compounds, such as oak lactones, eugenol, and 2-phenylethanol, was also examined, and MIP consistently showed the highest retention values.