Vinification as a Geochemical Filter: Multielemental Shifts and Health-Risk Assessment in Moscatel Must and Rosé Wine...

The elemental composition of wine is a critical parameter for food safety evaluation and geographical traceability. This study characterized the multielemental profile of "Moscatel" must and rosé wine from four viticultural zones in Arequipa, southern Peru, and assessed the associated human health risks. A total of 35 elements, including heavy metals, essential trace elements, macronutrients, and non-essential trace elements, were quantified by ICP-MS. Vinification was associated with a significant reduction in most elements, particularly toxic metals (As, Cd), transition metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn), and several macro- and trace elements, suggesting removal mechanisms such as precipitation and adsorption onto yeast biomass. However, Na concentrations exceeded OIV maximum limits in most production zones. Exploratory Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the must-to-wine transition accounted for most of the multivariate differentiation, while secondary compositional patterns related to production zones were observed, with Cs, B, Sr, and Na contributing to inter-zonal variability. Non-carcinogenic risk indices (HQ and HI) remained below the threshold of concern (HQ < 1). In contrast, carcinogenic risk values for As, Cr, and Ni reached high to very high categories in all evaluated zones. These findings are consistent with the role of vinification as a selective geochemical filter but do not completely mitigate potential carcinogenic risk associated with certain trace elements, underscoring the importance of multielemental monitoring in emerging wine-producing regions.