The application of polymeric adsorbent materials in the treatment of water and foodstuffs to eliminate or reduce the presence of undesirable substances is not new. As early as 2004, the European Council, through Resolution ResAP(2004)3 and its subsequent versions of 2007 and 2009, regulated the use of macromolecular organic compounds for ion exchange or adsorption of food constituents and, through a technical document, established the list of substances that can be used for the synthesis of these polymeric materials.

Such materials are successfully used in the sugar industry, the production of stevioside or the extraction of bioactive substances from plants. In addition, in the juice industry these substances are used for their ability to decolorize, reduce bitterness or remove undesirable compounds.

However, although the scientific community has highly valued the use of polymeric materials in the removal of undesirable compounds in wines and musts, it was not until 2020 that the OIV (International Wine and Vine Organization) approved two new oenological practices, OIV-OENO 614A-2020 and OIV-OENO 614B-2020, which allow the treatment of wines and musts with adsorbent microspheres for the elimination of geosmin, the main compound that produces important moldy-earthy organoleptic deviations.

The objective of this intervention is to provide the winemaking community with information on the possibilities demonstrated to date by these polymer matrices with adsorption capacity, mainly in the reduction of volatile phenols and phytosanitary products, among others.