Fate of DDT and parathion in grapes processed into arak, an alcoholic beverage

Arak, the national alcoholic drink in Lebanon, was prepared from grapes to which either DDT or parathion had been added. Samples of the nine fractions produced from the fermentation and distillation steps were analyzed for DDT and parathion and their respective metabolites. DDT degraded to DDD during the fermentation step resulting in a sharp decrease in DDT level. The two distillation steps contributed to a further decrease in the DDT level so that the final product contained less than 2% of the amount found in the fresh grape juice. Although the concentration of DDD increased sharply during fermentation, it also decreased to a negligible level during the subsequent distillation procedure. Parathion was more stable than DDT during the fermentation and first distillation steps. However, the second distillation process caused a sharp decline in its level and the Arak contained only about 6% of the residues present in the fresh juice, paranithophenol being the only metabolite detected.