Applications

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is generally considered detrimental to wine quality, especially if introduced after fermentation, storage, or bottling. The presence of oxygen after primary fermentation and during the later stages of winemaking can enhance browning reactions, chemical and microbiological instability, and the formation of off-flavors such as acetaldehyde. Knowing the DO content in wine is important through the entire wine production process, because oxidation is a common fault in bottled wines. With the 913 pH/DO meter and the 914 pH/DO/Conductometer, the oxygen content of wine can be determined quickly and easily directly on site.

Pyrimethanil is a broad-spectrum fungicide. As grapevines are susceptible to fungal pathogens, large-scale viticulture operations apply pyrimethanil as part of a mixed treatment. Although chemical analysis of wines post-fermentation finds low to undetectable amounts of residue, pyrimethanil is a suspected human carcinogen. The US FDA and EU have therefore established a maximum permissible level of 5 μg/mL pyrimethanil in finished wine products.In this application, trace detection of pyrimethanil in wine with Misa (Metrohm Instant SERS Analyzer) requires few laboratory supplies and minimal sample processing, yet returns rapid results.

Monitoring the range of organic acids in wine is crucial to improve flavor and quality, and to fulfill universal standardized criteria such as the International Code of Oenological Practices. Analytically, organic acids can be properly determined with ion chromatography (IC) and suppressed conductivity detection. As a multicomponent method, inorganic acids can also be resolved which are also valuable tracers for wine quality and taste. This Application Note presents two IC methods for wine quality analysis: a fast isocratic screening method of major organic acids and anions including sulfite, and a complex monitoring method with a binary gradient to separate 15 organic acids. Inline Ultrafiltration was used for economical sample treatment.

Organic acids in wine are omnipresent in winemaking. Some of them are present already in the grape while others appear during fermentation. The sum of organic acids and their composition have a direct influence on the taste of the respective wine. In this application a wine is tested for minor organic acids, especially shikimic and iso-citric, besides typical acids and anions. The separation is performed by anion chromatography applying a low-pressure gradient to achieve the required selectivity.

Wine sometimes contains heavy metals which can be precipitated out by the addition of potassium ferrocyanide. Generally, these are quantities of iron ranging between 1 and 5 mg, and exceptionally up to 9 mg Fe/L. Zinc, copper, and lead – in descending order of content – may also be present. To estimate the quantity of potassium ferrocyanide necessary for the «décassage of the wine», only very complicated and relatively inaccurate methods have been described until now.This Bulletin permits accurate results to be obtained easily with a simple instrumentation. The results are available in a short time.

The determination of the oxidation stability of wine with the Rancimat is a newly developed method able to determine the antioxidant potential of wines. Different grapes as well as varied processing methods impart the color, taste, and anti-oxidative capacity for each wine blend or varietal. With the Rancimat and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) methods, the antioxidant potential in different wines can be easily compared.The PEG method is used to compare the antioxidant capacity of different vintages and grape varieties. The induction time can be used as a quality criterion for different types of wine or different vintages. In this Application Note, the oxidation stability of different wines is determined in this way.

Product consistency and quality is of utmost importance to winemakers. This wine analysis evaluates nutrients and other ionic ingredients, which could potentially have deleterious effects on efficiency and production during the fermentation process. Inorganic and organic anions as acetate, chloride, phosphate, malate, sulfite, tartrate, sulfate, and oxalate are separated and quantified on a Metrosep A Supp 10 - 100/4.0 applying Inline Ultrafiltration and conductivity detection.

The Bulletin describes the determination of the following parameters in wine: pH value, total titratable acid, free sulfurous acid, total sulfurous acid as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and other reductones.

Biogenic amines are released during the winemaking process. In wine, they are present as odorless salts. However, in the mouth their flavor is partially liberated, influencing the appearance for the wine taste. Besides this, biogenic amines have been related to lack of hygiene or poor manufacturing practices. The biogenic amines are determined applying suppressed cation chromatography.

Determination of reducing sugars in wine and candies according to Fehlings method by potentiometric/iodometric titration using the Pt-Titrode.