Uncovering the influence of antioxidants on polyphenol oxidation in wines using an electrochemical method: Cyclic voltammetry

The influence of sulfur dioxide, glutathione and ascorbic acid on the cyclic voltammograms of four representative wine polyphenols (catechin, caffeic acid, rutin and quercetin) and five different wines was investigated using a glassy carbon electrode in a model wine solution. Sulfur dioxide increased the anodic current and decreased the cathodic current for all four polyphenols and all wines, pointing to a rapid interaction of SO₂ with the oxidized polyphenol quinones. A similar trend was seen for glutathione, except that in the case of quercetin, addition of glutathione led to the formation of a second set of voltammetric peaks, corresponding to redox activity of a glutathione derivative. However, ascorbic acid produced no additional effect on the cyclic voltammograms of wine polyphenols and wines, beyond that expected for a simple sum of the polyphenol and ascorbic acid responses, with the exception that adsorption of quercetin and rutin on the carbon electrode caused a shift in the ascorbic acid oxidation peak to more positive potentials.