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Analysis of wine for penicillin
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Journal of Chromatographic Science
|August 22, 2001
Summary
Penicillin contamination in wine is unlikely. This study found penicillin degrades rapidly in wine, and none was detected in commercial samples, protecting allergic consumers.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Microbiology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Penicillin, an antibiotic from Penicillium notatum, may potentially contaminate wine.
- A significant portion of the population (6-8%) has penicillin allergies.
- Wine contamination by penicillin poses a potential health risk to allergic individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for Penicillin contamination in wine during fermentation.
- To assess the health risks for consumers with penicillin allergies.
- To develop a reliable method for detecting penicillin in wine.
Main Methods:
- Development of a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for penicillin detection.
- Kinetic analysis of penicillin G hydrolysis in wine.
- Analysis of commercial wine samples for penicillin presence.
Main Results:
- Penicillin G exhibits rapid hydrolysis in wine, following first-order kinetics.
- The estimated half-life of penicillin in typical commercial wine is 147 minutes.
- No evidence of penicillin contamination was found in analyzed commercial wine samples.
Conclusions:
- Penicillin contamination in wine is highly improbable due to rapid degradation.
- The risk of allergic reactions to penicillin from wine consumption is negligible.
- The developed HPLC method provides a reliable means for detecting penicillin in wine.