Chromatographic Separation of Cresol Isomers by a β‐Cyclodextrin: Application for the Determination of Volatile Phenols in Alcoholic Beverages

The chromatographic separation of o‐cresol, m‐cresol, and p‐cresol by using β‐cyclodextrin as a chiral reagent has been studied. Conditions for the chromatographic separation of these isomers by using the cyclodextrin in the mobile phase or bonded in the stationary phase were optimized, and both procedures provided good results for the resolution of the chromatographic peaks. The use of fluorimetric detection (λexc 275 nm λem 300 nm) allows detection and quantification limits of the µg/L for eight studied phenols by using both procedures. The determination of volatile phenols in alcoholic beverages must be carried out using the cyclodextrin in the mobile phase because of the co‐elution of phenol and ethylguaiacol with other compounds of some studied matrix.