Abstract
Pesticide residues in Austrian wines have so far been poorly documented. In 250 wines, 33 grape musts and 45 musts in fermentation, no limit values were exceeded, but in some cases high levels (>0.100 mg/L) of single residues were found, meaning that a reduction of these levels before bottling could make sense. In the course of this study, a white and a red wine were spiked with a mix of 23 pesticide residues from the group of fungicides (including botryticides), herbicides and insecticides. The influence of the following treatments on residue concentrations and volatile profiles were investigated: two activated charcoal products, a bentonite clay, two commercial mixed fining agents made of bentonite and charcoal, two yeast cell wall products, and a plant fiber-based novel filter additive. The results of this study show that all the agents tested reduced both residues and volatile compounds in wine, with activated charcoal having the strongest effect and bentonite the weakest. The mixed agents and yeast wall products showed less aroma losses than charcoal products, but also lower residue reduction. Plant fibers showed good reduction of pesticides with moderate aroma damage, but these results need to be confirmed under practical conditions.
Highlights
250 Austrian wines, 45 Austrian musts in fermentation and 33 Austrian grape musts of different origin from 2012–2019 vintages were analyzed for the content of 23 common residues of the fungicides including botryticides, insecticides and herbicides classes
Pesticide residues are a current issue in Austria despite the high percentage of organically produced wine
The results of this study clearly show that all the agents tested reduced both residues and volatile compounds in the wine, with activated charcoal having the strongest effect and bentonite the weakest on the reduction of residues
Summary
With an astonishing share of organically cultivated vineyards (15.5%) and 819 organic winegrowers, Austria is considered a pioneer country for organic viticulture [2]. To obtain wine grapes of good quality, the vine has to be protected from both pests and fungal diseases until ripening. The most common vine parasites in Austria are the grape berry moth (Lobesia botrana), downy mildew (Plasmopora viticola), powdery mildew (Erysiphe or Uncinula necator) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea). Crop protection is used in both conventional and organic farming [3]. In conventional cultivation, approved synthetic insecticides and fungicides can be used, and at harvest time, pesticide residues can stick to the grape skins and pass into the wine during vinification [4]
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