Ochratoxin A occurrence in wines produced in Chile

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin commonly present in wine and other foods. It is a secondary metabolite produced by several fungi species of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. OTA is nephrotoxic and was classified by the IARC in 1993 as possible carcinogen for human. The European Commission and OIV have fixed limits of this mycotoxin in wine and other foods. OIV set the maximum concentration of OTA in wine in 2.0 μg L−1 and recommends that wine producing countries should set up an analysis system to survey OTA contamination risk starting from the vineyard to the wine cellar. On these grounds, this study has for main objective to establish a wide diagnostic of the incidence of OTA in wines produced in Chile, covering a distance of 1000 km between the Elqui valley in the North and the Bio–Bio valley in the South, with different climates and growing conditions. The sampling plan considered the collection of nearly 400 samples per year during 2007, 2008 and 2009. Samples were collected directly from wineries before blending (55%) as well as commercial wines from supermarkets. Different valleys, planted areas, grape varieties, were also considered. OTA was determined in 1188 samples with the OIV-method (), which was submitted to internal and external validation. Reflecting the national production volumes, 73% of samples corresponded to red and 27% to white wine. Only in 2.9% of all samples OTA was detected (LOD = 0.01 μg L−1 for red and 0.02 μg L−1 for white wine). The highest concentration found was 0.35 ± 0.09 μg L−1, in just one sample. The incidence of OTA in late harvest wines was not greater than in normal wines and no statistical difference was observed between red and white wines. Contrasting these results with those published in other wine producing areas of the world, it is concluded that Chile has a privileged situation, showing the lowest incidence of OTA worldwide.