Mycotoxins contamination of grape wines marketed in the Russian Federation

Grape wine is one of the most popular and widespread alcoholic beverages around the world. Contamination of grapes used in its preparation by mold fungi can lead to accumulation of mycotoxins that are harmful to human health. Due to their high toxicity of grape wines and potential health risks, the aim of this study was to investigate the contamination of grape wines sold in Russia with a wide range of toxins and to assess the population health risk associated with their consumption.

The concentration of 27 mycotoxins in 36 samples of grape wines was determined by high-performance liquid chroma-tography coupled to tandem mass-spectrometric detection. The list of mycotoxins included regulated ones, their derivatives and structural analogs, as well as emergent mycotoxins (Alternaria toxins, citrinin, sterigmatocistin, cyclopiazonic and mycophenolic acids, moniliformin, enniatins, beauvericin).

The resulting data indicated contamination of grape wines consumed in Russia with mycotoxins. Thirty-one percent of the samples contained toxins at relatively low levels of contamination. Aflatoxin G2, altenuene, mycophenolic acid and sterigmato-cystin were detected more often than other toxins; in some cases, zearalenone, tenuazonic acid and ochratoxin A. Red wine samples were the most contaminated with mycotoxins. Fumonisin B1, zearalenone, sterigmatocystin, altenuene and ochratoxin A were found only in imported wine samples. Several toxins were found simultaneously in four tested wine samples.

Despite a relatively low level of mycotoxin contamination of wine marketed in the Russian Federation, there is still a potential hazard of their chronic ingestion by humans. The calculated average intake of aflatoxins may reach 28 % of the reference value and the maximum intake can even exceed it. The calculated exposure of other mycotoxins detected in wine samples indicates an insignificant contribution of grape wine (up to 2.8 % of the reference value) to their intake by the Russian population.