Effect of Ultrafiltration on Wine Quality and Browning

¹ Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72703.

A study was completed to investigate the potential of ultrafiltration (UF) to reduce browning and to serve as a replacement for sulfites in Seyval and Vidal wine. Wine samples received the following treatments: (1) non-filtered, non-sulfited; (2) non-filtered, sulfited; (3) pad filtered before fermentation; (4) ultrafiltration at four molecular weight cut-offs (MWCO); 500 000, 100 000, 50 000, and 30 000 either before or after fermentation. All wines were subjected to storage at three different headspaces. Ultrafiltration at 50 000 d MWCO before fermentation slowed oxidation in the Seyval wine, but not in the Vidal wine. Browning was greater with increased headspace. Storage temperature had less effect on browning than the varietal difference.

Key words: browning, ultrafiltration, pad filtration, oxidation, headspace, absorbance values

Submitted on January 10, 1991