Analysis of wine for penicillin

This study addresses the question of whether the antibiotic Penicillin, which is produced by the common mold Penicillium notatum, could possibly become a contaminate of wine during the fermentation process. The significance of this study is related to the potential health effects this agent might produce in those consumers who have an allergic response to Penicillin. It has been estimated that between 6% and 8% of the American population is subject to this type of allergic response. A method is developed for the detection of penicillin in wines using high-pressure liquid chromatography. We demonstrate that penicillin G hydrolyzes rapidly in wine with first-order kinetics, and the half-life of this antibiotic is 147 min in a typical commercial wine. An analysis of a number of commercial wines shows no evidence of the presence of penicillin, which should negate the question of any allergic response associated with this potential contaminate.