Sulfite content in some Brazilian wines: analytical determination and estimate of dietary exposure

Brazilian wines of different regions and that commercially available in the city of Campinas, SP, were analysed for their contents of sulfites. Dietary exposure to sulfites from Brazilian wines was also assessed by combining sulfite levels determined analytically with three hypothetical scenarios of daily wine consumption: 150, 300, and 450 mL. In all samples, the concentration of sulfites was below the maximum permitted level (MPL) of 350 mg L-1 set in the Brazilian legislation with most samples (88%) containing residual sulfite below 150 mg L-1. The dietary exposure to sulfites from regular consumption of 150 mL of national white wines containing sulfites at the mean level of 122.0 mg L-1 covered 44% of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established by JECFA for these preservatives (0.7 mg kg(-1) bw). For high regular consumption (450 mL per day) of white wines, the dietary exposure could reach 131% of the ADI. In the case of national red wines (SO2 mean level of 71.3 mg L-1) the dietary exposure was lower, ranging from 26 to 76% of the ADI for 150 and 450 mL of daily consumption, respectively. The present study indicates that although sulfite levels in national wines is usually below the MPL (mean of 98.5 mg L-1) a regular moderate consumption of 150 mL per day could lead to a dietary exposure of 15 mg of sulfites (0.25 mg kg(-1) bw in a 60-kg adult), covering one-third of the ADI. A regular heavy consumption (450 mL per day) would cover the full ADI.