Is the detection of phosphonic and ethyl-phosphonic acid in organic wines an evidence of fosetyl-Al application in organic vineyards?
2025
Alessandra Trinchera | Giuseppe Vassanelli | Luca Lorenzi | Dylan Warren Raffa
Over the last decade, the detection of phosphonic acid in organic food, a residue of plant protection products not permitted by Regulation (EU) 2021/1165, has become a critical issue for European organic producers. Approximately 10 % of EU irregularities involved organic wines, testing positive for PHY and, less frequently, for ethyl-phosphonic acid. We conducted a study on two white and two red organic wines, spiked with 10 mg/L of phosphonic acid or left unspiked (controls), and stored at different temperatures and durations to identify the origins of phosphonic acid and ethyl-phosphonic acid contamination and to establish an acceptable maximum residual level in organic wines. Our findings indicate that ethyl-phosphonic acid is inevitably formed in wines over time, influenced by the initial concentration of phosphonic acid and storage temperature. Consequently, the presence of ethyl-phosphonic acid, and by extension fosetyl, should not always be considered evidence of fosetyl-Al application in organic vineyards. We propose setting the maximum residual level of phosphonic acid in organic wines at 1.0 mg/L to minimize the risk of ethyl-phosphonic acid formation, even under suboptimal storage conditions or during wine aging.
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