Determination of Lead and Strontium Isotope Ratios in Wines by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Thirteen wine assortments from Romania were investigated from the point of view of their metal content and isotopic ratios Pb/Pb and Sr/Sr. The determination was performed by ICP-QMS. The aim of this study was to detect and quantitatively determine the toxic metals in some white and red wine samples and to investigate them from the point of view of isotopic ratios Pb/Pb and Sr/Sr. Six metals with toxicology significant concentration were identified, from which nickel (16 μg l to 94 μg l) are perhaps originating from the technological procedure of vinification (fermentation in stainless steel tanks). Traces of Pb (2 μg l to 47 μg l), Hg (value reported in a sample of wine 200 μg l), As (0.3 μg l to 12 μg l), Cd (0.08 μg l to 1.4 μg l), Cr (46 μg l to 400 μg l) were also found. The Sr/Sr ratio depends on the geographic location of the soil where the plants grew, so that it can be used as a tracer of wine origin. Pb/Pb and Pb/Pb ratios could be significantly influenced by anthropogenic factors. These ratios may be used to differentiate natural and anthropogenic Pb contamination. It seems that for the wines studied, the lead content comes from natural Pb.