Distribution of rare earth elements in Vitis vinifera L. 'Chardonnay' berries

The content of 13 rare earth elements (REEs) in the skin, flesh and seeds of 'Chardonnay' berries harvested at technological ripeness in 2 vineyards in Trentino (Italy) with calcareous soils was analysed using inductively, coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The total REE content of the berry was 2.1 and 2.7 ug.kg(-1) fresh weight (median value, N = 20) respectively in the 2 vineyards, La, Cc and Nd making up about 80%. Despite the significantly different amounts of REEs in the berries of the 2 vineyards, the percentage content of each element as compared to the total amount of REEs and the percentage distribution in the 3 parts (skin, flesh and seeds) were similar. Overall, 57% of REEs were localized in the skin, 40% in the flesh and 3% in the seeds (median value, N = 40). Most of the elements prevailed in the skin, while there were negligible amounts in the seeds, where the percentage of Eu was around 20 times higher than in the other parts.