Fungicide multiresidue monitoring in international wines by immunoassays

Azoxystrobin, boscalid, cyprodinil, fenhexamid, and pyrimethanil are new generation fungicides extensively employed in order to combat diseases affecting vineyards worldwide. Owing to their physicochemical characteristics, residues of these compounds on grapes are transferred to must and wine. In this study, a survey of the occurrence of these fungicides in international wines was carried out by using rapid antibody-based assays. Results are discussed as a function of wine type and sample geographical origin. 44.4% of the samples contained at least one of the targets (>10 mu g L-1). Fungicide residue occurrences were 22.4%, 19.2%, 18.8%, 6.8%, and 1.2% for pyrimethanil, boscalid, fenhexamid, cyprodinil, and azoxystrobin, respectively, while residue contents higher than 100 mu g L-1 were found in 8.4% of the samples. This study shows that contamination of commercial wines with pesticides is an issue of worldwide relevance with potential implications for consumer health and international trade. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.