Enhancing wine authenticity: introducing ERM-AE202, a certified reference material for ethanol analysis

The wine industry faces significant threats from authenticity, adulteration and fraud, particularly through the illicit addition of exogenous sugars to grape must to artificially boost alcohol content. However, stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), offer a powerful means of detecting such adulterations. By combining these techniques, researchers can determine the botanical and geographical origin of wine samples, providing a robust tool for authenticity testing in line with Regulation (EU) 1308/2013.

Standard methods for SNIF-NMR and IRMS analysis, as outlined in OIV-MA-AS311-05 and OIV-MA-AS312-06, involve distillation of samples, followed by additional sample preparation steps prior to measurement. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of these methods, certified reference materials (CRMs) are essential. The new certified reference material ERM-AE202 has been developed to assess the distillation step and ensure the accuracy of isotopic measurements. This demanded CRM enables laboratories to evaluate the yield of sample extraction and verify the performance of their analytical protocols.

ERM-AE202 is an aqueous solution of approximately 11% vol. ethanol, specifically designed to support quality control and method performance evaluation. Supplied in glass bottles containing 400 mL of solution, this CRM is certified for a range of critical parameters, including deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H) amount-of-substance ratios, relative deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (R), δ13C value, δ18O value, and alcoholic strength volume fraction. By incorporating ERM-AE202 into their analytical workflows, laboratories can enhance the reliability and accuracy of their wine authenticity testing protocols, ultimately safeguarding the integrity of the wine industry and protecting consumers from counterfeit products.

The new CRM is available for purchase through the Certified Reference Materials catalogue of the JRC