Determination of 14C in Alcoholic Beverages

Abstract

A simple and quick method for the determination of 14C in ethanol has been developed, using an ultra low-level liquid scintillation counter. I have studied factors influencing the lower limit of detection and have shown that liquor can be measured directly without pretreatment. Results of measurements on Austrian wines are presented and compared with results obtained from tritium measurements. The applicability and limitations of the results to age determination are discussed.