Mineral Composition through Soil-Wine System of Portuguese Vineyards and Its Potential for Wine Traceability

The Influence of the Soil Profile on the Formation of the Elemental Image of Grapes and Wine of the Cabernet Sauvignon Variety

The features for assessing the authenticity of wines by region of origin are studied, based on the relationship between the mineral composition of the wine, the grapes, and the soil profile (0 to 160 cm) from the place of growth of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Soil, grape, and wine samples were taken from the territories of six vineyards in the Anapa district of Krasnodar Territory, Russia. Using the methods of ICP-OES, thermal, and X-ray phase analysis, the soils were differentiated into three groups, differing in mineralogical and mineral compositions. The soil samples of the first group contained up to 31% quartz, the second group up to 25% quartz and 19% mixed calcite, and the third group up to 32% calcite and 15% quartz. The formation of the elemental image of the grapes was studied, taking into account the total content and mobile forms of metals in the soil. The territorial proximity of the vineyards did not affect the extraction of elements from the soil into the grape berry, and the migration of metals for each territory was selective. According to the values of the biological absorption coefficient, the degree of transition of metals from the soil to a berry was estimated. For K, Ti, Zn, Rb, Cu, and Fe in all berries, the coefficient was higher than 1.00, which means that the berry extracts contained not only mobile-form, but also difficult-to-dissolve metal compounds. The migration of macro-components from the soil to the berry was low, and amounted to 6-7% for Ca, 0.8-3.0% for Na, and 25-70% for Mg of the concentration of their mobile forms. For all territories, the maximum correlation between metal concentrations in grapes and soil was observed for samples from a depth of 0-40 cm. The discriminant model based on concentrations of Rb, Al, K, Sr, Co, Na, Pb, Ca, and Ni showed the formation of clusters in the territories of vineyard cultivation. The developed model allow the problems of identifying wines by region to be solved with high accuracy, using their elemental image.

Authentication of selected white wines by geographical origin using ICP spectrometric and chemometric analysis

An important aspect of assessing the authenticity of wines is its geographical origin. The aim of the work is to authenticate by geographical origin according to the data of the ICP-spectrometric and chemometric analysis of elemental "images" of wines produced from white grape varieties Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat grown in four regions of the Krasnodar Territory, Russia. The difference in the contents of Al, Ba, Ca and Rb in wines was found depending on the variety, and Al, Ba, Rb, Fe, Li, Sr - depending on the region of grape growth. Different models of the experimental data processing were used for attribution of the produced varieties of wine to the area of the grape's growth. The criterion for the quality of the constructed models was the accuracy of the attribution of a wine variety to the area of the grape's growth (%). Analysis of the elemental analysis data of 153 wine samples showed that in terms of attribution accuracy, automated neural networks (100 %) are preferred among machine learning methods, followed by support vector machines (98.69 %) and general discriminant analysis (94.77 %). The applied mathematical models enabled the revealing of the cluster structure of the analyzed wine varieties and their attribution to the area of a grape growth with high accuracy. Sr, Li and Fe concentrations in wines were found as the dominating predictors in the constructed models for definition of the geographical origin of wines. The combination of ICP-spectrometric analysis data with the capabilities of statistical modeling of machine learning methods focused on large-dimensional data made it possible to successfully solve small-dimensional problems of the definition of the geographical origin of wines by their elemental composition and variety.

Can Rare Earth Elements Be Considered as Markers of the Varietal and Geographical Origin of Wines?

The possibility of establishing the varietal and territorial affiliation of wines by the content of rare earth elements (REE) in them was studied. ICP-OES and ICP-MS with subsequent chemometric processing of the results were applied to determine the elemental image of soils containing negligible REE amounts, grapes grown on these soils, and wine materials of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Moldova varieties produced from these grapes. To stabilize and clarify wine materials, the traditional processing of wine materials with various types of bentonite clays (BT) was used, which turned out to be a source of REE in the wine material. Discriminant analysis revealed that the processed wine materials were homogeneous within one denomination and that those of different denominations were heterogeneous with respect to the content of REE. It was found that REE in wine materials were transferred from BT during the processing, and thus they can poorly characterize the geographical origin and varietal affiliation of wines. Analysis of these wine materials according to the intrinsic concentrations of macro- and microelements showed that they formed clusters according to their varietal affiliation. In terms of their influence on the varietal image of wine materials, REE are significantly inferior to macro- and microelements, but they enhance their influence to a certain extent when used together.

Shedding Light on Metals Release from Chestnut Wood to Wine Spirit Using ICP-MS

Possible effects caused by mineral elements during wine spirit ageing are diverse. In this study, the evolution of the mineral composition of wine spirit during ageing with chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) wood was investigated. A wine distillate was aged in 250 L wooden barrels (traditional ageing) and in 50 L glass demijohns with wood staves and micro-oxygenation (alternative ageing). Sampling was performed after 21, 60, 180, 270, and 365 days of ageing. The elemental composition of the wine spirits, including alkaline, alkaline earth metals, and heavy metals, was assessed by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS). For most of the elements, no significant differences between wine spirits from distinct ageing modalities were observed. Ageing time had significant effect on most of them, with different trends and distinct magnitude of changes, depending on each specific element. The concentrations of the mineral elements found in the wine spirits were very low, especially those of heavy metals, which is quite positive in terms of quality and food safety. Novel information on metals released from chestnut wood to wine spirits confirms its appropriateness for ageing this beverage.

Zinc Biofortification in Vitis vinifera: Implications for Quality and Wine Production

Nowadays, there is a growing concern about micronutrient deficits in food products, with agronomic biofortification being considered a mitigation strategy. In this context, as Zn is essential for growth and maintenance of human health, a workflow for the biofortification of grapes from the Vitis vinifera variety Fernão Pires, which contains this nutrient, was carried out considering the soil properties of the vineyard. Additionally, Zn accumulation in the tissues of the grapes and the implications for some quality parameters and on winemaking were assessed. Vines were sprayed three times with ZnO and ZnSO₄ at concentrations of 150, 450, and 900 g ha^-1 during the production cycle. Physiological data were obtained through chlorophyll a fluorescence data, to access the potential symptoms of toxicity. At harvest, treated grapes revealed significant increases of Zn concentration relative to the control, being more pronounced for ZnO and ZnSO₄ in the skin and seeds, respectively. After winemaking, an increase was also found regarding the control (i.e., 1.59-fold with ZnSO₄-450 g ha^-1). The contents of the sugars and fatty acids, as well as the colorimetric analyses, were also assessed, but significant variations were not found among treatments. In general, Zn biofortification increased with ZnO and ZnSO₄, without significantly affecting the physicochemical characteristics of grapes.

Transfer of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Toxic Elements from Soil to Grapes to White Wines in Uncontaminated Vineyards

Wine is a popular beverage and may be a source of nutrient and toxic elements during human consumption. Here, we explored the variation in nutrient and toxic elements from soils to grape berries and commercial white wines (Chardonnay) at five USA vineyards (New York, Vermont, California, Virginia) with strongly contrasting geology, soils, and climates. Samples were analyzed for macronutrients (Ca, K, and Mg), micronutrients (Mn, Cu, and Zn), and toxic elements (As, Cd, and Pb). Our study showed contrasting macronutrient, micronutrient, and toxic element concentrations in soils and in vines, leaves, and grapes. However, plant tissue concentrations did not correspond with total soil concentrations, suggesting a disconnect governing their accumulation. Bioconcentration factors for soil to grape berry transfer suggest the accumulation of Ca, K and Mg in berries while Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb were generally not accumulated in our study or in previous studies. Wines from the five vineyards studied had comparable nutrient, micronutrient, and toxic metal concentrations as wines from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Japan. The transfer of nutrients and toxic elements from grape berries to wine indicated that only Ca, K, and Mg were added or retained while concentrations of all other micronutrients and toxic elements were somewhat to extensively diminished. Thus, there appears to be a substantial effect on the geochemistry of the wine from the grape from either the fermentation process (i.e., flocculation), or a dilution effect. We conclude that soils, geology, and climate do not appear to generate a unique geochemical terroir as the transfer and concentration of inorganic nutrients appear to be comparable across strongly contrasting vineyards. This has several implications for human health. Nutrients in wine have potential impacts for human nutrition, as wine can meet or exceed the recommended dietary requirements of Ca, K, Mg, and Fe, and toxic metals As and Pb concentrations were also non-trivial.

Mechanical pruning and soil organic amendments in vineyards of ‘Syrah’: effects on wine mineral composition

The interaction of mechanized pruning systems and soil organic amendment can affect vine vegetative and reproductive growth. However, since organic amendments supply several mineral elements, namely heavy metals, this study aimed to understand the effects of the interaction between these two practices on the mineral composition of wine. Two field trials were implemented in ‘Syrah’ vineyards in two Portuguese wine regions (Lisboa and Tejo). Mechanical hedge pruning was compared with hand spur pruning and four different organic amendments were tested: biochar, municipal solid waste compost, cattle manure and sewage sludge. The nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) wine contents were significantly reduced by mechanical pruning while calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents were tendentially higher in this pruning system. Mechanical pruning also reduced the content of some minor elements, such as arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo) and nickel (Ni). In 2014, the year with the higher reproductive growth, some other elements also decreased as a consequence of the mechanical pruning (gallium - Ga; lithium – Li; rubidium - Rb, thallium – Tl; yttrium - Y). Concerning the organic amendments, sewage sludge was associated with the wines with the lowest P and iron (Fe) content. Ca content was tendentially higher in municipal solid waste compost and sewage sludge treatments. Mechanical pruning and organic amendments had different effects on the mineral composition of wine, according to each specific element. However, the legal limits, recommended by OIV and established by European Union, as well as the technical limits, adopted by winemakers, were never exceeded and the interaction of both practices does not seem to be a problem in what concerns to the mineral composition of the produced wines.

Validation and analysis of the geographical origin of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels using multi-element and stable isotopes

Background

Place of origin is an important factor when determining the quality and authenticity of Angelica sinensis for medicinal use. It is important to trace the origin and confirm the regional characteristics of medicinal products for sustainable industrial development. Effectively tracing and confirming the material’s origin may be accomplished by detecting stable isotopes and mineral elements.

Methods

We studied 25 A. sinensis samples collected from three main producing areas (Linxia, Gannan, and Dingxi) in southeastern Gansu Province, China, to better identify its origin. We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to determine eight mineral elements (K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Al) and three stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O). Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to verify the validity of its geographical origin.

Results

K, Ca/Al, δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O are important elements to distinguish A. sinensis sampled from Linxia, Gannan and Dingxi. We used an unsupervised PCA model to determine the dimensionality reduction of mineral elements and stable isotopes, which could distinguish the A. sinensis from Linxia. However, it could not easily distinguish A. sinensis sampled from Gannan and Dingxi. The supervised PLS-DA and LDA models could effectively distinguish samples taken from all three regions and perform cross-validation. The cross-validation accuracy of PLS-DA using mineral elements and stable isotopes was 84%, which was higher than LDA using mineral elements and stable isotopes.

Conclusions

The PLS-DA and LDA models provide a theoretical basis for tracing the origin of A. sinensis in three regions (Linxia, Gannan and Dingxi). This is significant for protecting consumers’ health, rights and interests.

ICP–MS Analysis of Multi-Elemental Profile of Greek Wines and Their Classification According to Variety, Area and Year of Production

Major, minor and trace elements in wines from Greece were determined by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). The concentrations of 44 elements (Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Cu, Co, Cr, Zn, Sn, Fe, Mn, Li, Be, B, V, Sr, Ba, Al, Ag, Ni, As, Sn, Hg, Pb, Sb, Cd, Ti, Ga, Zr, Nb, Pd, Te, La, Sm, Ho, Tm, Yb, W, Os, Au, Tl, Th, U) in 90 white and red wines from six different regions in Greece for two consecutive vinification years, 2017 and 2018, were determined. Results for the elements aforementioned were evaluated by multivariate statistical methods, such as discriminant analysis and cluster analysis, and the wines were discriminated according to wine variety and geographical origin. Due to the specific choice of the analytes for multivariate statistical investigation, a prediction rate by cross-validation of 98% could be achieved. The aim of this study was not only to reveal specific relationships between the wine samples or between the chemical variables in order to classify the wines from different regions and varieties according to their elemental profile (wine authentication), but also to observe the annual fluctuation in the mineral content of the studied wine samples.

Authentication and Traceability Study on Barbera d’Asti and Nizza DOCG Wines: The Role of Trace- and Ultra-Trace Elements

Barbera d’Asti—including Barbera d’Asti superiore—and Nizza are two DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wines produced in Piemonte (Italy) from the Barbera grape variety. Differences among them arise in the production specifications in terms of purity, ageing, and zone of production, in particular with concern to Nizza, which follows the most stringent rules, sells at three times the average price, and is considered to have the highest market value. To guarantee producers and consumers, authentication methods must be developed in order to distinguish among the different wines. As the production zones totally overlap, it is important to verify whether the distinction is possible or not according to metals content, or whether chemical markers more linked to winemaking are needed. In this work, Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) elemental analysis and multivariate data analysis are used to study the authentication and traceability of samples from the three designations of 2015 vintage. The results show that, as far as elemental distribution in wine is concerned, work in the cellar, rather than geographic provenance, is crucial for the possibility of distinction.

Wine traceability and authenticity: approaches for geographical origin, variety and vintage assessment

The aim of this work is to identify and discuss physicochemical wine characteristics, to provide to some extent a link to the vintage, variety, and/or geographical origin. Bibliographic datasets were attempted to provide the main information for topic comprehension, identifying the sources of wine compositional variability and how these can be expressed in terms of the belonging categories. Since all the environmental and technological conditions which vineyard and wine are subjected are rarely known, different sources were inspected. Great importance was given to the study of isotopic composition because of its importance in food frauds detection history. The interaction of the plant genotype with the environmental conditions of the vintage is the main responsible for the wines organic and inorganic fraction variability in terms of both total and relative content. This phenotypical expression, together with human and abiotic variability sources, has been examined since it contains to some extent the information for the discrimination of wines according to their category. Recently, new proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy techniques have been under study and, used concurrently to chemometric data management procedures, showed to be an interesting and promising tool for wine characterization according to both vintage and variety.

Geographical Origin Classification of Chinese Wines Based on Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotopes and Elemental Profiles

ABSTRACT

Wines from different regions have different qualities due to the impact of geographical location and climate. The sale of inferior wines seriously violates the fair-trade rights of consumers. This article provides an elemental analysis classification method for verifying the geographical origin of wines in the People's Republic of China. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and an isotope ratio mass spectrometer were used to analyze 142 wine samples collected from Helan Mountain, Xinjiang, Yunchuanzang, the Yanhuai Valley, and the Hexi Corridor regions. The data included elemental profiles, carbon isotope ratios (δ13C), and oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O). The results of multivariate analysis revealed that the geographical origin of wine is closely related to variations in elemental profiles and isotope ratios. Introducing δ18O and the elements Li, Mn, Ag, In, Th, Ta, and Re into the discriminant model yielded correct classification rates of the linear discriminant model of 90.8% for the training set and 87.3% for the test set.

HIGHLIGHTS

Wine Traceability

This Special Issue concerns wine traceability, a central theme in the current world market where consumers are increasingly demanding the quality and origin of food and drink [...]