Ultrasound-assisted extraction and determination of tartaric and malic acids from grapes and winemaking by-products Original Research Article

The optimization of an ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method for tartaric and malic acids from grape derived samples is shown. A fractional factorial experimental design allowed for the determination of the effects of seven extraction variables. Relationships between all the variables were examined. By applying graphical analysis, the best extractions conditions were obtained. The most important variables were the extracting liquid and the extraction temperature. Later, a central composite design was applied for optimizing the temperature and the composition of the extracting liquid. The optimized method was applied to grapes and to winemaking by-products. The repeatability of the method was studied and the recovery of tartaric and malic acids was established. Organic acids quantification was done by liquid chromatography (LC) using a post-column buffer and a conductivity detector.