January 4, 2006, Madison, WI--Thermo Electron has announced a new application for wine analysis using its Nicolet Antaris FT-NIR analyzer. A newly released application note demonstrates how the Nicolet Antaris analyzer makes use of Fourier transform near-infrared technology to achieve fast, accurate and simultaneous quantitative analysis of multiple critical components in wine.
Traditionally, wine quality analysis has been performed using chemical, physical and chromatographic methods, all of which can determine only one species at a time. The determination of ethanol content, for example, can be achieved by ebulliometry, hydrometric analysis or dichromate oxidation, while the acetaldehyde content can be determined by enzymatic analysis. FT-NIR is a rapid, accurate and precise alternative to traditional methods that is able to successfully and simultaneously measure multiple wine parameters non-destructively.
The Nicolet Antaris FT-NIR analyzer enables scientists and analysts involved in the wine making process to reduce analysis time from hours to seconds without sacrificing accuracy or precision. Other advantages of FT-NIR technology include high wavelength accuracy, high throughput and high signal-to-noise, making it an ideal spectroscopic methodology for analyzing chemically complex media like wine.
The application note details how the Nicolet Antaris FT-NIR analyzer is able to predict physical properties like density in addition to normal chemical parameters like ethanol content and Degrees Brix. Furthermore, the application note shows the prediction of nine additional quality parameters involved in wine analysis.