Speciation of lead and copper contents in non-alcoholic wines from Marina Distribution Co. Ltd, Accra, Ghana

Abstract

The concentrations of two heavy metals (Cu and Pb) were determined in three brands of Ghanaian wines by flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS) after digesting the wine samples with 0.1M HNO3. The copper concentration in the three different brands of wine was in the range of 0.4-1.2 mg/L. The toxic lead metal was found to be below the detection (BDL) of 0.1 mg/L. The levels of Cu concentrations were found to be comparable to the permissible limit set by OIV, French and American Wines. The copper and lead identification sources were due to natural sources and anthropogenic sources during vinification processes such as the equipment used