Removal of Ochratoxin A (OTA) from Naturally Contaminated Wines During the Vinification Process

摘要

In this study, 28 red and 18 white musts, from seven different local wineries in Turkey, were investigated to determine their ochratoxin A (OTA) content following the 2006 harvest period. The removal conditions of OTA during the main stages of the wine making processes (alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation, racking, fining and storage) were investigated using HPLC techniques. In addition, the removal of OTA from two samples of red musts containing more than 1.0 μg/L of OTA and one sample of white must containing 0.83 μg/L of OTA were studied. The percentage of OTA removal in the final wine was found to be 41.8% (Sample A) and 53.7% (Sample B) in red wine and 44.7% in the white wine. The activated carbon had no greater effect on removing OTA than the other fining agents. The wine bottle ageing processes decreased the OTA content of the red wine between 11.8% and 17.6% during 12 and 18 months of storage, respectively. The 24 month ageing period did not affect the OTA level of the red wine further compared to the 18 month period.