Determination of biogenic amines in wines by ion-pair liquid chromatography and post-column derivatization with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate.

A liquid chromatographic method with post-column derivatization for the determination of biogenic amines in wines is proposed. The method is based on the separation of amines by ion-pair chromatography using sodium heptanesulfonate (SHS) and on-line labeling of analytes with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate. The principal factors influencing the separation (acetonitrile and SHS concentration) have been considered for the optimization of the elution gradient through factorial design and multicriteria decision-making. Figures of merit have been established using red wine samples. Detection limits range from 0.2 to 3 mg L(-1), the peak area run-to-run repeatability from 1.6 to 4.6% and the retention time repeatability lower than 1.2%. Recoveries ranging from 92 and 108% prove the accuracy of the method for determining ethanolamine, ethylamine, histamine and tyramine in commercial red wines. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of wines from different Spanish regions.