Optimization and Validation of a New Capillary Electrophoresis Method with Conductivity Detection for Determination of Small Anions in Red Wines

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method has been developed and validated for determination of organic acids (oxalate, tartrate, malate, malonate, pyruvate, succinate, acetate, citrate, and lactate) and inorganic anions (sulfate and phosphate) in red wines. The separations were carried out in an automated separation system equipped with wide-bore (300 μm i.d.) fluoroplastic capillary and contact conductivity detector used for monitoring the separation and quantification of the analytes. The fast method (analysis time less than 5 min.) provided a good linearity of calibration curves (R 2 > 0.9920) for the studied acids, as well as a good reproducibility of migration times (RSD < 1.5%). In total, 17 red wines were analyzed with the proposed method, including Vranec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot wines from various geographic areas (Demir Kapija, Kavadarci, Negotino, and Veles) in Macedonia. The used fully automated separation system (sample dilution not included) predetermined the developed CE method for routine analysis.