A Novel Method for the Determination of Lactic Acid. Comparison of Lactic Acid Content of English and North European Wines

Abstract

A gas chromatographic method for the analysis of lactic acid is described. This method, which involves the Ce (IV)-oxidation of lactic acid to acetaldehyde with the subsequent headspace GC determination of acetaldehyde, is used along with TLC and a spectrophotometric method to investigate the occurrence of malolactic fermentation in English wines. A similar analysis of selected wines from northern France is used as a comparison. Apart from two wines (one rosé and one red from the ten wines analyzed), there was little evidence of any significant malolactic fermentation in English wines.