Terroir 2012 banner

Arsenic in soil, leaves, grapes and wines

Abstract

The presence of arsenic in food and beverages creates concern because of the toxicity of this element, classified as carcinogenic in humans. The arsenic concentration in soil, vine leaves and berries (cv. Chardonnay) and white wines was studied, considering vineyards near to an old mining area (naturally rich in As), in comparison with others from uncontaminated areas in Trentino (Italy).
All analyses were performed using an inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometer.
In soil, the acqua regia extracted As ranged from 3.7 to 283 mg/kg, whereas bioavailable As varied from 18 to 639 mg/kg. As in washed and acid mineralised leaves and berries was between 16.3-579 mg/kg dw and between <0.1-36.8 mg/kg dw, respectively. As content in wines was always <1.4 mg/L. Pearson’s test showed significant and positive correlations between the As concentrations in soils, leaves and berries. The samples collected near the mining area showed significantly higher As concentrations.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: October 1, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Tomás ROMÁN VILLEGAS, Daniela BERTOLDI, Roberto LARCHER, Alessandro SANTATO, Maurizio BOTTURA, Giorgio NICOLINI

FEM-IASMA Fondazione Edmund Mach – Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige, via E. Mach, 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

arsenic, plant uptake, soil, wine, human health risk

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Outils de caracterisation et zonage des paysages viticoles: application aux vignobles français

Un paysage viticole est une relation entre des formes, dimension objective, et la perception que nous en avons, dimension subjective, émotionnelle. La viticulture n’est pas seulement productrice d’un vin, elle contribue également à façonner le paysage. Pourtant, jusqu’à présent, la connaissance des terroirs était principalement basée sur la caractérisation de leur aptitude à produire des vins de qualité.

Read More

Sensory analysis in oenology: the role of methodological differences in expert panel evaluations

Sensory analysis is an essential component of oenology, offering valuable insights into wine quality that influence decision-making in viticulture and winemaking.

Read More

Sensory differences of Pinot noir wines from willamette valley subregions

Wines from different regions or AVAs have been found to have sensory differences, as these areas are typically located quite far apart and have dramatically different climates, soils and other terroir factors.

Read More

Evaluating nature-based solutions for under trellis soil management: effectiveness and impacts on vine performance compared to conventional strategies

Soil management plays a key role in climate change adaptation.

Read More

The effect of Nitrogen and Sulphur foliar applications in hot climates

ine nitrogen deficiency can negatively influence the aroma profile and ageing potential of white wines. Canopy management can alter vine microclimate, affect the nitrogen availability and influence the response of leaf senescence. Increasing the nitrogen availability to vines can increase the Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) levels in harvested fruit and wine. Studies show that foliar nitrogen and sulphur applications at véraison, on low YAN Sauvignon blanc grapes have an effect on the level of amino acids (Jreij et al. 2009) and on S-containing compounds such as glutathione and thiols (Lacroux et al. 2008), which in turn can influence the formation of major volatiles and the aroma profile of the wine.

Read More