Novel method for identification and quantification of methanol and ethanol in alcoholic beverages by gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and horizontal attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Numerous methods are being used to identify and quantify methanol and ethanol in alcoholic beverages, including country liquors. Some of the known methods are density and refractive index measurements, and spectrophotometric measurements using Schiff's reagent or chromatropic acid. Other advanced techniques involve head space gas chromatography (GC), GC-flame ionization detection, high-performance liquid chromatography, enzymatic reactions, and biosensors. However, identification and quantification of methanol and ethanol in beverages can be accurately done using GC-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and horizontal attenuated total reflectance (HATR)-FTIR. Identification of alcohols is possible from library matching of the IR spectra obtained from GC-FTIR. In water, methanol and ethanol show a very strong peak for C-O, stretching at 1015.3 and 1044.2 cm(-1), respectively. The strong absorption of vibrational stretching frequency of C-O present in alcohols was used for quantification purposes. The absorptions of C-O group frequency of alcohols in water mixtures were measured using HATR-FTIR with a zinc-selenide crystal. Samples were placed directly on the HATR crystal, with alcohol concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 50.0% (v/v). The plot of absorptions against concentrations of methanol and ethanol obeyed Beer's law (r2 = 0.9998 and 0.9987, respectively), from which alcohol in the mixtures was quantified. Propan-2-ol and n-butanol showed no interference. The method is validated from absorption measurements of known mixtures of standard ethanol in water. This is a simple, specific, rapid, accurate, and nondestructive method of identification and quantification of methanol and ethanol in mixtures. It can be used to ascertain methanol contamination in alcoholic beverages that can lead to death or methanol poisoning by alcohol consumption.