Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in wine According to the current state of knowledge, no impairments to health are to be expected

The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has no information on the actual sources of the reported concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid in wine. TFA can be formed as a metabolite of various pesticide active substances. However, other routes of entry are also known, for example via fluorinated refrigerants and propellants.

As part of the review of the approval of the active substance flufenacet, an acceptable daily intake (ADIshort forAcceptable Daily Intake) of 0.05 milligrams per kilogram body weight was derived for TFA. An acute reference dose was not considered necessary by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority) as part of this procedure. In accordance with the current scientific and technical knowledge, BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment agrees with EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority's assessment regarding the ADIshort forAcceptable Daily Intake, but considers it necessary to also derive an ARfDshort forAcute Reference Dose. In the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment's view, the ARfDshort forAcute Reference Dose should be set at 0.05 milligrams per kilogramme body weight, too. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment assesses TFA as toxic for reproduction. The responsible national and international scientific institutions and authorities are currently working intensively on this substance on an interdisciplinary basis.

The average concentration of TFA in the samples measured was 0.122 milligrams (mg) per litre (l), with the highest value reported being 0.320 mgshort formilligram/l. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) does not have enough information to check the reliability and reproducibility of the measurements. The sample size (n=39) is small. In response to enquiries from the public, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has made an initial assessment based on the published values. The result: based on the highest measured value, a person with a body weight of 60 kilograms (kgshort forkilogram) would have to drink at least 9 litres of wine per day to exceed the health-based guidance values of 0.05 mgshort formilligram per kgshort forkilogram body weight.

In this context, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment points out that wine also contains ethanol, a neurotoxic and carcinogenic substance. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) therefore recommends avoiding alcoholic beverages. Those who do consume alcoholic beverages should above all replace large amounts of alcohol. This applies in particular to young people. Children, adolescents, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should generally avoid alcohol (in German: External Link:https://www.dge.de/fileadmin/Bilder/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/DGE-Position_Alkohol_EU_2024_10.pdf).

According to the DGE, the risk of consequential damage is high if you consume more than 81 grams of alcohol per week. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of alcohol contained in a bottle of wine. In relation to the 9 litres of wine mentioned above - which a person with a body weight of 60 kgshort forkilogram would have to drink at least once a day in order to exceed the health-based guidance values of TFA - it can be assumed that there is a health risk from ethanol with a significantly lower wine intake than a health risk from TFA.

At the request of the European Commission, EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority is currently reviewing the health-based guidance values for TFA. EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority performs this review together with the Member States and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHAshort forEuropean Chemicals Agency), which is responsible for the classification of the chemical properties of TFA (External Link:https://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/topics/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas). The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment will update its assessment if new findings emerge.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMELshort forGerman Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) in Germany. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment advises the Federal Government and the States (‘Laender’) on questions of food, chemicals and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.