Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB

PreserveWine | PreserveWine-DEMO

Non-thermal process to replace use of sulphites and other chemical preservatives in European wines to meet new European Directive

A trans-European partnership of SMEs identified a promising non-thermal technology to extend the shelf life of wine without the use of sulphites or other preservatives, helping to meet the requirements of both customers and European legislation. This pressure change technology (PCT) has been validated on a pilot scale with support from the EC FP7 research programme (ref: 262507). PCT involves applying an inert gas under pressure to the wine, the rapid release of pressure causes microbial cell wall rupture.

To overcome the final technical and non-technical barriers to market deployment further support from the EC FP7 programme has been provided in this Preserve-Wine-Demo project (ref: 606569).

Project information

Project title

PreserveWine – Non-thermal process to replace use of sulphites and other chemical preservatives in European wines to meet new European Directive

 

Project duration

December 2012 –  January 2013

 

Coordinated by

  • Fraunhofer IGB

 

Project partners

  • edecto GmbH Dresden, Germany
  • Statiflo International Ltd, United kingdom
  • Maag Pump Systems AG, Switzerland
  • SensoTech GmbH, Germany
  • Heckmann Polska Produkcja Metalowa Maszyn SP.z.o.o., Poland
  • Azienda Agricola Tenute Dei Vallarino S.r.l., Italy
  • Societe Civile Agricole Chateau Guiraud, France
  • Comite de la communaute economique europeenne industries commerce vins vins aromatises vins mousseux vins liqueur produits vigne aisbl, Belgium
  • Ateknea Solutions Catalonia, S.A., Spain
  • L'ADERA, France

Preservation of wine

For the preservation of liquid foodstuffs such as fruit juices or wine we are implementing pressure change technology in a continuous process and investigating the impact of the process parameters on various products. In the EU-funded project PreserveWine, pressure change technology is being investigated as an alternative to adding the preservative sulfur dioxide in various process steps of wine production and is being further developed in cooperation with the firm Edecto GmbH and other European partners.

Solution

Rotwein im Fass beim Projektpartner Tenute dei Vallarino, Italien.
Barreled red wine in the cellars of our project partner Tenute dei Vallarino, Italy.

Currently, the process is being validated with wine in cooperation with the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin in . Here, various parameters such as temperature, retention time and type of gas are being investigated both with regard to wine-relevant yeasts (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus sp.), and regarding the physical-chemical and sensory characteristics of the product. A continuous plant has been designed for the specific requirements of the wine producers and is currently being built. The process will then be optimized and validated in further trials for use in wine production with red and white wine of users in Italy and France.

Objectives and results

Batch unit using pressure change technology to treat liquids.
Batch unit using pressure change technology to treat liquids.

The objectives of the project are the inactivation of microorganisms after the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation and also the protection of the wine against oxidation by means of an inert atmosphere. A batch unit was built for initial tests. Currently, the process is being validated with wine in cooperation with the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin in Bordeaux. Here, various parameters such as temperature, retention time and type of gas are being investigated both with regard to wine-relevant yeasts (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus sp.), and regarding the physical-chemical and sensory characteristics of the product. A continuous plant has been designed for the specific requirements of the wine producers and is currently being built. The process will then be optimized and validated in further trials for use in wine production with red and white wine provided by project partners in Italy and France.

Within the framework of our activities, the entire process from product development, manufacturing, stabilization including process engineering and plant design, is analyzed and validated, implementing the required good manufacturing practice standards (GMP) and risk analysis procedures such as hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP).

Applications

  • Preservation of liquids by inactivating microorganisms and enzymes (˝cold pasteurization˝)
    • tabilization of liquid foodstuffs (alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, milk products, plant extracts, other suspensions)
    • Stabilization of suspensions or liquid preparations for pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses (e.g. eye drops
    • Gentle preservation of constituents without using chemical additives
  • Gentle cell disruption in biotechnology
    • Downstream processing to obtain intracellular products
    • Mild-reaction process to obtain high-quality, thermo-labile ingredients

Funding

The PreserveWine project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 262507.

The research of the follow-up project "PreserveWine-DEMO" receives funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement n° 606569.

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