Determination of carboxylic acids, sugars, glycerol and ethanol in wine and grape must by ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection

Method to determine the major carboxylic acids, sugars, glycerol and ethanol in wine and grape must was developed using an ion-exchange column and refractive index detector. A solid-phase extraction method with a strong anion exchanger was used to determine these compounds in sweet wines and in grape musts. With this method it is possible to determine malic acid in sweet wines and in grape musts without interference from sugars. This high-performance liquid chromatographic method was compared with standard methods of analysis. There was good agreement in the accuracy and precision of the compared methods.