Spectrophotometric Determination of Arginine in Grape Juice Using 8-Hydroquinoline

Arginine in grape juice can be metabolized by wine yeasts and malolactic bacteria to precursors of ethyl carbamate, known as carcinogen. The aim of this study was to develop a simple, fast, and accurate method for determining arginine in grape juice with Sakaguchi reaction by separating arginine with strong cation-exchange resins. Parameters were optimized including the concentrations of 8-hydroquinoline and sodium hydrobromite. The color stability lasted for 4 min, which is sufficient to finish the measurement. The method is simple, reproducible and accurate, and can be applied for quick measurement of arginine in grape juice to take necessary measures for controlling the level of ethyl carbamate.