Detecting the addition of sugar and water to wine

Abstract

Background and Aims Wine fraud has been practised since ancient times, continuing up to the present day and taking many forms. In this study, detection of the addition of unpermitted sugar and water to wines was evaluated using a univariate method, officially adopted, and several more effective multivariate methods. Methods and Results The results are based on 5220 Italian wine samples belonging to the European Union (EU) Wine Databank collected in the period 2000–2010. This databank contains stable isotope ratios for wine samples from many regions over many years. The addition of variable amounts of sugar and water was simulated according to experimental results, and univariate and multivariate methods were compared. It was shown that this type of fraud can be discovered much more easily by the application of multivariate methods. Conclusions It can be difficult to detect the addition of unpermitted sugar and water to wines. With multivariate tests based on the EU Wine Databank, the likelihood of detecting this kind of fraud is significantly increased. Significance of the Study This research evaluates and proposes a more efficient method for statistical interpretation of the EU Wine Databank for evaluation of wine authenticity.

Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis for Verifying the Authenticity of Balsamic and Wine Vinegar

“…6 The wine samples had different (D/H) I values, ranging from 102.1 to 106.3 ppm, and covered a large part of the typical variability of a grape product. 2 The δ 13 C of ethanol obtained from wine also appears not to differ from that of acetic acid after extraction from both vinegar and ABM (Figure 1), in line with previous findings. 6 The mean differences between wine and vinegar and wine and ABM are 0.4 ‰ and 0.3 ‰, respectively, with a range of −0.8 to 0.2 ‰, averagely lower than the official repeatability limits shown in Table 3.…”

“…The 18 O/ 16 O analyses of wine, must, vinegar, and ABM were performed using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (SIRA II, VG Fisons, Middlewich, UK, or Isoprime, Cheadle, UK) connected to a water/CO 2 GC analysis was performed using a Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph coupled with a TSQ Quantum tandem mass spectrometer upgraded to the XLS configuration. A DuraBrite IRIS ion source with prefilter was installed to improve performance of the spectrometer.…”

“…9−11 Here, we investigated the ability of isotopic analysis to detect the fraudulent addition of increasing percentages of cane sugar ethanol to wine from which vinegar is derived and of synthetic vinegar to ABM. The general reference of wine, as reported by 2 can be adopted for products such as vinegar and ABM, where origin and year of production are generally not known. Table 5 shows that the addition of more than 20% of cane sugar ethanol to the source wine can be detected because the isotopic parameters fall outside of the limits, taking into account the measurement uncertainty.…”

Gas Chromatography‐Combustion‐Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry for Traceability and Authenticity in Foods and Beverages

“…Protected designation of origin (PDO) assignments of these products are fundamental to protect and regulate wines and distillates from distinct regions. Fraudulent production of PDO beverages includes mislabeling/misdescription and adulteration such as addition of sugar (sugar cane and sugar beet) and addition of artificial/synthetic flavors and dilution with water (Dordevic and others ). Spitzke and Fauhl‐Hassek () developed a GC‐C‐IRMS method that could be used to determine the isotopic ratios of wine ethanol and other alcohols, for example, 2‐methylpropan‐1‐ol, 2‐ and 3‐methylbutan‐1‐ol; butan‐2,3‐diol, 2‐phenyl‐1‐ethanol, and glycerol.…”

Combination of sugar and stable isotopes analyses to detect the use of nongrape sugars in balsamic vinegar must

“…As demonstrated by Perini et al, these methods can also be effectively applied to ABM ingredients, including must . The limits for D/H and δ 13 C isotopic ratios are those in the official wine databank, when the origin and year of production are declared, or the more general limits reported in Dordevic et al…”