Novel non‐specific liquid fingerprint technology for wine analysis: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A novel, rapid and simple liquid fingerprinting technology is described and demonstrated for wine identification and for quality control. METHOD AND RESULTS: The wine sample, selected chemical modulators on the surfaces of an array, and a long lifetime luminescent europium label interact non‐specifically providing a unique luminescence fingerprint that is highly wine specific. The technique was applied to 15 red wines of different vintages from four European vineyards. The fingerprint data, in addition to identification and after data processing, show a significant correlation with the results from existing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic and spectrophotometric methods of wine analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of individual wines through specific luminescent fingerprints provides a simple and efficient tool to combat wine adulteration and fraud. The same principles combined with proper data processing can enable the monitoring of other parameters such as wine aging. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: This study demonstrates a fast, affordable and rapid test platform for red wine analysis.