Pedot modified electrodes in amperometric sensing for analysis of red wine samples

A poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene) modified electrode has been considered as a potentially useful amperometric sensor to use either alone or in the frame of a set of sensors bearing complementary information, i.e. within an electronic tongue. The sensor is proposed in blind analysis of red wines, for classification and calibration purposes. The data obtained from voltammetric measurements have been treated using partial least squares analysis. A calibration procedure has been performed to correlate results from analyses of wines, executed with traditional analytical methods, with the corresponding voltammetric responses. Moreover, classification models of the wine samples, based on quantitative parameters and qualitative information about origin and variety, have been built. The developed electrochemical sensor also allows the fast identification of samples exceeding threshold limits of meaningful parameters for quality control in the wine industry, such as SO2, colour intensity and total polyphenols. The application of the system within a sensor array (electronic tongue) to fast pre-screening routine control procedure is proposed.