Use of food industry by-products for the removal of fungicides from white wine

The removal of undesirable products, such as pesticides, from wines and other drinks certainly increases their quality and safety. Their removal with atoxic, selective and legally-recognized adsorbents as adjuvants can constitute an effective and relatively simple technique. The removal of seven fungicides (triadimenol, penconazole, fenarimol, iprodione, procymidone, vinclozolin and benalaxyl) from white wine was investigated using inorganic and organic matrices, formed from natural macromolecules. Based on the adequate aspecific adsorption obtained with lignin, some of the natural macromolecules (cellulose and chitin) were functionalised with alkylic and arylic residues, Benzoyl-cellulose at a concentration of 0.25-1% w/v gave a removal yield of 70 to 95% for all the pesticides mixed together at I mg/L each. It was particularly selective for iprodione, procymidone and vinclozolin with a removal yield of 85-90%, already at 0.25% of adsorbent in 3 h at 25 degreesC.