Is the detection of phosphonic and ethyl-phosphonic acid in organic wines an evidence of fosetyl-Al application in organic vineyards?

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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alessandra Trinchera, Giuseppe Vassanelli, Luca Lorenzi, Dylan Warren Raffa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Food Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772502224002452
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:2772-5022