Determination and levels of chromium in French wine and grapes by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

An accurate and precise method for direct determination of chromium in wine using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is described. The method was also applied to grape samples treated by previous acid mineralization. A total of 79 wine samples from different regions in France and 12 grape samples of different varieties were analyzed. Chromium levels ranged from 7.0 to 90.0 mu g/L in red wines, from 6.6 to 43.9 mu g/L in white wines, from 7.3 to 14.7 in rose wines, and from 10.5 to 36.0 mu g/L in champagne. Deficient conditions in wine storage could increase chromium content. In grape samples, chromium content varied from 2.5 to 20.9 mu g/kg for white varieties and from 2.4 to 64.6 mu g/kg for red varieties. The contribution of wine consumption to total Cr daily dietary intake for the French population was estimated to be 4.06 mu g per resident. The daily contribution of chromium from wine does not exceed 10% of dietary intake.