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.

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…

Development of an analytical method for the quantification of compounds responsible for the green character of wines: influence of ripeness on their levels

Red wines can sometimes exhibit undesirable green, herbaceous, and vegetative aromas, negatively impacting their sensory profile and consumer acceptance.

Il vino nobile di Montepulciano

C’è grande attenzione al rapporto tra zonazione e marketing. Mi sembra però che ci sia anco­ra oggi un salto fra le pratiche di analisi del terreno e di deterrninazione di quello che potremo definire “cru” e quello che può essere la sua utilizzazione rispetto ai consumatori finali.

From a local to an international scale: sensory benchmarking of PDO wines. Quincy and Reuilly PDO wines (Sauvignon blanc) as a case study (France)

In a collective marketing strategy, the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) can be used as a quality indicator. To highlight terroir specificities, it is useful to know how the wines are positioned on the local, national or international market from a sensory point of view. This is especially true for a comparison of varietal wines (e.g. Sauvignon blanc). We focus on the case of two closed Loire Valley PDO (France): Quincy and Reuilly. Three distinct tastings were organized. Firstly, at the local level comparing the 2 PDO (11 and 9 wines, 17 professional assessors); secondly at a regional level adding 3 closed PDO: Menetou-Salon, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (3 wines per PDO, 16 assessors) and thirdly at an international level comparing these 5 PDO with Sauvignon Blanc wines coming from South Africa, New Zealand and Chile (1 to 3 wines per PDO, 19 assessors). All the wines were from the 2019 vintage and were considered to have a traditional elaboration process without contact with oak. A sensory descriptive analysis was performed using an aroma wheel allowing to combine a Check-All-That-Apply methodology, often used in sensory benchmarking, with a hierarchical structuration of the attributes. The aim is to facilitate data acquisition in a professional context without common training, to consider the hierarchical relationships among the attributes during the data analysis and to be able to characterize wines with a large range of sensorial variability. We use univariate, multivariate and clustering analyses. Similarities and differences between Quincy and Reuilly PDO wines and other Sauvignon blanc wines were identified. Specific attributes can distinguish the two PDO and different proximities exist with other local PDO, while clear differences were observed compared to international wines. Our study contributes to propose and discuss a method to do a wine sensory benchmarking highlighting sensory specificities linked to origin.

The role of mechanization in zone/terroir expression

Vineyard mechanization will be addressed in this review paper primarily as related to pruning and harvesting since these operations typically require a great deal of the total yearly labour demand (Intrieri and Poni, 1998). However, to be able to define how mechanization interacts with “terroir”, a rigorous definition of the latter term is needed.

Protected Designation of Origin (D.P.O.) Valdepeñas: classification and map of soils

The objective of the work described here is the elaboration of a map of the different types of vineyard soils that to guide the famers in the choice of the most productive vine rootstocks and varieties. 90 vineyard soils profiles were analysed in the entire territory of the Origen Denominations of Valdepeñas. The sampling was carried out in 2018 (June to October) by making a sampling grid, followed by photointerpretation and control in the field. The studied soils can be grouped into 9 different soil types (according to FAO 2006 classification): Leptosols, Regosols, Fluvisols, Gleysols, Cambisols, Calcisols, Luvisols and Anthrosols. A map showing the soil distribution with different type of soils has been made with the ArcGIS program. Regarding to the choice of rootstock, Calcisoles are soils with a high active limestone content, so the rootstocks used in these soils must be resistant to this parameter; Luvisols are deep soils with high clay content, so they will support vigorous rootstocks. Because the cartographic units are composed of two or more subgroups, with are associated in variable proportions, 9 different soil associations have been established; Unit 1: Leptosols, Cambisols and Luvisols (80%, 15% and 5% respectively); Unit 2: Cambisols with Regosols and Luvisols (40%, 30% and 30% respectively); Unit 3: Cambisols and Gleysols with Regosols (40%, 40% and 20% respectively); Unit 4: Regosols with Cambisols, Leptosols and Calcisols (40%, 30%, 15% and 15% respectively); Unit 5: Cambisols, Leptosols, Calcisols and Regosols (25% each of them); Unit 6: Luvisols with Cambisol and Calcisols (80%, 10% and 10% respectively); Unit 7: Luvisols and Calcisols with Cambisols (40%, 40% and 20% respectively); Unit 8: Calcisols with, Cambisols and Luvisols (80%, 10% and 10% respectively); Unit 9: Anthrosols. These study allow to elaborate the first map of vineyard soils of this Protected Designation of Origin in Castilla-La Mancha.