LC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS study of phenolic compounds in ash (Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L.) heartwood. Effect of toasting intensity at cooperage

• Published in: Journal of mass spectrometry. 2012-07, Vol.47 (7), p.905-918
• Main Authors: Sanz, Miriam, de Simón, Brígida Fernández, Cadahía, Estrella, Esteruelas, Enrique, Muñoz, Angel M., Hernández, Teresa, Estrella, Isabel, Pinto, Ernani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Chemistry; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; dilignol; Exact sciences and technology; Food industries; Fraxinus - chemistry; Fraxinus americana; Fraxinus excelsior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Glycosides - analysis; Glycosides - chemistry; Handling, storage, packaging, transport; heartwood; Hot Temperature; Iridoids - analysis; Iridoids - chemistry; LC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS; Lignans - analysis; Lignans - chemistry; oligolignol; Other chromatographic methods; phenolic compounds; Phenols - analysis; Phenols - chemistry; phenylethanoid glycosides; Quercus - chemistry; secoiridoids; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Trees - chemistry; Wood - chemistry
• ISSN: 1076-5174; 1096-9888
• DOI: 10.1002/jms.3040

The phenolic composition of heartwood extracts from Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L., both before and after toasting in cooperage, was studied using LC‐DAD/ESI‐MS/MS. Low‐molecular weight (LMW) phenolic compounds, secoiridoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, dilignols and oligolignols compounds were detected, and 48 were identified, or tentatively characterized, on the basis of their retention time, UV/Vis and MS spectra, and MS fragmentation patterns. Some LMW phenolic compounds like protocatechuic acid and aldehyde, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, were unlike to those for oak wood, while ellagic and gallic acid were not found. The toasting of wood resulted in a progressive increase in lignin degradation products with regard to toasting intensity. The levels of some of these compounds in medium‐toasted ash woods were much higher than those normally detected in toasted oak, highlighting vanillin levels, thus a more pronounced vanilla character can be expected when using toasted ash wood in the aging wines. Moreover, in seasoned wood, we found a great variety of phenolic compounds which had not been found in oak wood, especially oleuropein, ligstroside and olivil, along with verbascoside and isoverbascoside in F. excelsior, and oleoside in F. americana. Toasting mainly provoked their degradation, thus in medium‐toasted wood, only four of them were detected. This resulted in a minor differentiation between toasted ash and oak woods. The absence of tannins in ash wood, which are very important in oak wood, is another peculiar characteristic that should be taken into account when considering its use in cooperage. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.