Chitosan, chitin-glucan and chitin effects on minerals (iron, lead, cadmium) and organic (ochratoxin A) contaminants in wines

Chitosan (F7), chitin (F2), chitin-glucan (F1) and chitin glucan hydrolysate (F5) of fungal origin were tested for removal of mineral (Fe or Pb and Cd) and organic (ochratoxin A: OTA) contaminants in wines. Red, white and sweet wines are spiked with either Fe (20 mg L-1), or Pb (500 mu g L-1) and Cd (20 mu g L-1) or OTA (5 mu g L-1). The wines were then treated with F1, F2, F5 or F7 at doses of 0.1 g, 0.5 and 2 g L-1. After 2 days, the levels of iron, copper, lead and cadmium were measured using a flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Depending on the treatment red wines showed reductions of iron by 73-90%, cadmium by 29-57% and lead by 33-74%. The same treatments with white wine gave reductions for iron of 32-91%, cadmium fell by 11-23%, lead by 50-65%. In the case of sweet wines iron was reduced by 51-90%, cadmium by 17-25%, and lead by 38-84%. For wine enriched in OTA, treatments with F1, F2, F5, F7 were carried out at doses of 2 and 5 g L-1. After 2 days, the levels of OTA in wines were analyzed by HPLC with fluorimetric detection. OTA was reduced by 56.7-83.4% in red wine, by 53.4-64.5% in white wine and 26.1-43.5% in sweet wine. These findings indicate that chitosan, chitin, chitin-glucan, or chitin glucan hydrolysate from fungal origin may be useful ancillaries for wine limpidity prevention by reducing levels of Fe, heavy metals (Pb, Cd) and mycotoxins (OTA) and thereby improving wine safety.