HEAVY METAL POLLUTION OF SOME COMPONENTS OF FLAVOURED WINES, NAMELY THE WINE VARIETIES AND HYDROALCOHOLIC MACERATES FROM PLANTS

The aim of this research, in order to meet the quality standards of drinks derived from wines, was the establishment of heavy metals pollution (Pb , Cd and Cu) of some varieties of wine from the 2007 harvest, in the Ostrov vineyard, namely: Fetească Albă , Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling Italian. We also analyzed the heavy metal content of hydroalcoholic macerates of plants in 45 % and 60 % alcohol (2 recipes: recipe I with 16 plants taken from Romanian native flora and recipe II with 6 ingredients containing especially bitter substances), used subsequently to obtain flavoured and vermouth type wines from the studied varieties. Heavy metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS ). The research results show that the Italian Riesling variety had the highest values for heavy metals, ie 51.9 ppb Pb, 1.60 ppb Cd and 12.2 ppb Cu. The less " polluted " variety of wine with Cd (0.10 ppb) and Cu ( 9.4 ppb) was Fetească Albă. Regarding the hydroalcoholic macerates, the one obtained from the plants in recipe I had a higher content of Pb , Cd and Cu (15.6 ppb Pb , 0.78 ppb Cd and 355 ppb Cu) and macerates in 60 % alcohol had higher concentrations of heavy metals as compared with the macerates in 45 % alcohol. In conclusion , although heavy metals were found in both wines and in hydroalcoholic macerates, the pollution with heavy metals did not exceed the limits allowed by law.