Electrochemical oxidation of wine polyphenols in the presence of sulfur dioxide

J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Jun 12;61(23):5573-81. doi: 10.1021/jf400282z. Epub 2013 Jun 3.

Abstract

Electrochemical oxidation of three representative wine polyphenols (catechin, caffeic acid, and quercetin) in the presence of sulfur dioxide in a model wine solution (pH = 3.3) was investigated. The oxidation was undertaken using chronoamperometry at a rotating glassy carbon rod electrode, and the reaction products were characterized by HPLC-MS. The mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of polyphenols in the presence of sulfur dioxide was proposed to be an ECEC mechanism. The polyphenols first underwent a one-electron oxidation to a semiquinone radical, which can be reduced back to the original polyphenol by sulfur dioxide, or further oxidized to the quinone form. In the cases of caffeic acid and catechin, the quinone combined with sulfur dioxide and produced new derivatives. The quercetin quinone underwent further chemical transformations, producing several new compounds. The proposed mechanisms were confirmed by digital simulation of cyclic voltammograms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electrochemistry
  • Electrodes
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Polyphenols / chemistry*
  • Sulfur Dioxide / chemistry*
  • Wine / analysis*

Substances

  • Polyphenols
  • Sulfur Dioxide