In-line pressurized-fluid extraction–solid-phase extraction for determining phenolic compounds in grapes

A new method of pressurized-fluid extraction coupled in-line with solid-phase extraction has been used for the extraction of phenolic compounds from grapes. The full extraction method is performed under an inert atmosphere. Five different solvents have been assayed using different extraction pressures and temperatures. Using two extraction stages with two different solvents, water and methanol, quantitative recovery for most of the assayed compounds has been found in the second extract. Only the most polar phenolic compound, gallic acid, was found distributed in both extracts. The application to real samples allows for a clean-up of the extracts. Cinnamic esters like caftaric acid, cis and trans-coutaric acids were found only in the methanolic extract. The reproducibility for the new method was measured using both an inert solid spiked with standards and grapes. Using between 202 and 424 μg of spiked standards, the resulting relative standard deviations were less than 5%, with the exception of gallic acid (RSD=13%). For grapes, the resulting RSD were 11% for trans-coutaric acid, 10% for caftaric acid and 6% for cis-coutaric acid.