An Appraisal of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis and Tracking of Wine and Grape Components-Extension

The consumption of wine may explain the unaccountably low rate of heart disease in parts of France. This suggests a cardioprotective effect for wine. One theory to explain this phenomenon is that the phenolic antioxidants found in wine inhibit LDL lipid oxidation, the initial stage of atherosclerosis. Wine antioxidants are more potent than vitamin E (known to reduce heart disease) in preventing LDL lipid oxidation, supporting this theory. The amount of these phenolic antioxidants in two glasses of wine could significantly increase the total levels of these compounds in the American diet. Phenolic antioxidants like those in wine have also been shown to reduce cancer rates and, in-vitro, inhibit many basic mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Further studies are needed to establish a causal link between wine consumption and disease prevention. Analyses of Wine Components that May Reduce Disease Our results this year were quite satisfactory. Our first success was developing an analytical procedure for the analysis of resveratrol by HPLC. This procedure was accepted for publication in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Resveratrol is one wine component which has been implicated as a anti-atherosclerosis compound. As part of the study to develop a procedure we analyzed for resveratrol in a dozen California wines and found higher levels in Pinot noir than Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Our large scale analysis now underway will tell whether or not this is a real trend. A study that is directly relevant to the health effect was carried out by studying the anti-oxidant capacity of wine phenolics. As mentioned above, it is the property of being an antioxidant, that is most likely to be the key to any health benefit from wine. In the experiment we carried out, we tested the ability of these wine antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of human LDL lipids. It is this event, the oxidation of LDL lipids, that is supposed to lead to atherosclerosis, the cause of most heart disease mortality. Thus, anything that prevents the oxidation from occurring is a candidate for preventing heart disease.