Polyphenols are a form of antioxidants which consist of a three-membered flavan ring system that bind to metal cations. This binding inhibits the ability of cations to bind to DNA and produce free radicals, which in-turn cause neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.1,2 Wine, resulting from fermenting mashed grapes, contains polyphenols3 and red wine has higher amounts of these polyphenols because they are contained in the grape skins present during red wine fermentation. The polyphenols within red wine have also been shown to decrease the amount of cholesterol in the blood.2 However consumption of red wine while having anemia worsen the symptoms of anemia due to the iron cation binding to the polyphenol instead of the hemoglobin. Due to the multitude of positive vs. negative health effects of polyphenols, this study utilizes refurbished High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) instrumentation with ultraviolet detection to measure the polyphenolic content in wines to understand relationships between polyphenolic content and health benefits. The research, thus far, involves investigating an efficient HPLC mobile phase and an analytical method of extracting, measuring and analyzing different polyphenolic compounds.
