Comparison of Extraction Techniques for Volatiles in Whisky

Martin Perkins

2nd December 2015

Measurement of the volatile profiles of alcoholic beverages, such as Whisky are important both for understanding flavour characteristics and investigating counterfeit products. The Multi-Volatile Method (MVM) is a potential alternative to using the more established approach of headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), which can have limitations in the range of components detected. In this work the MVM method used two DHS extractions –one with the Shincarbon/Carbopack Trap and the other with Tenax TA. MVM results were qualitatively compared with those from a single DHS extraction using Tenax and HS-SPME using a mixed fibre (DVB/CAR/PDMS). MVM was shown to extract the widest range of components including acetaldehyde, oaklactone and 2-Hydroxymethylfurfural, which were not observed with the other techniques.