Reduction of 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol concentration in red wines using reverse osmosis and adsorption

Excessive concentrations of 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol can spoil red wines. A two-stage integrated process was developed to reduce the concentrations of these compounds in impaired wine. A new approach consisting of a reverse-osmosis housing and a hydrophobic adsorptive resin successfully reduced these volatile phenols to acceptable levels. The resulting wines showed a significant reduction in 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol concentrations, but there was a loss of other aroma compounds. This exploratory work is aimed at improving the aromatic profile of spoiled wine with such a process, which in the future could provide enologists with a powerful tool.