Occurrence of Heavy Metals in Wines for 13 European Countries: A Short Review

Abstract

The origins of metals found in wine could be both natural or relate to human activities; their concentration impacts the wine's ability to be consumed or conserved, considering that metallic ions are crucial in oxidation-reduction reactions that culminate in wine browning, lack of clarity and potential astringency. Metals in wine may affect human health, and although drinking wine may provide partial quantities of the suggested daily consumption of essential metals, it may also become toxic if the metal concentrations exceed the allowed limits. Strict monitoring is thus recommended throughout the wine-making process. This work provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on the sources of toxic heavy metals that can be detected in wines. The main focus is set on the limits concerning heavy metals that was observed in wines. Our findings indicated that some countries have exceeded the maximum acceptable copper and lead limits set by OIV. In this light, pure materials such as activated carbon and banana or potato peels could assist in processing the wine, to remove the excess of heavy metals, thus rendering them safe to consume.