Drankanalyse

Drankanalyse is the scientific practice of characterizing beverages to assess quality, authenticity, safety, and regulatory compliance. It covers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including wines, beers, spirits, soft drinks, and functional beverages. Analytical objectives include determining composition, detecting adulteration, verifying labeling, and monitoring production consistency.

Techniques commonly used in drankanalyse include:

- Chromatography (gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography) with detectors such as flame ionization, mass spectrometry, or ultraviolet detectors.

- Spectroscopy (infrared, ultraviolet–visible, and nuclear magnetic resonance) for rapid profiling of chemical classes and functional groups.

- Mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry for targeted and non-targeted profiling of volatiles, sugars, phenolics, and contaminants.

- Titrimetry and electrochemical methods for acidity, alkalinity, and specific ion measurements.

- Isotope ratio analysis and fingerprinting for authenticity and origin verification.

- Microbiological testing for contamination and spoilage when relevant.

Common parameters measured include ethanol content, sugar composition (glucose, fructose, sucrose), organic acids, pH, phenolic compounds, esters and higher alcohols, aroma-active volatiles, minerals, vitamins, contamination indicators (methanol, pesticides, heavy metals), and microbial counts in some contexts. Sample preparation often involves filtration, dilution, and selective extraction to concentrate analytes.

Applications span quality control in production, product development, authenticity verification, regulatory compliance, safety testing, and forensic investigations into adulteration or tampering. Methods are guided by standards and methods from bodies such as Codex Alimentarius, ISO, AOAC, and country-specific regulatory agencies, emphasizing accuracy, traceability, and reproducibility. Challenges include matrix complexity, low-level contaminants, sensory-impact of analytical results, and method harmonization across laboratories.