Determination of Activity Profiles of the Main Commercial Enzyme Preparations Used in Winemaking

Abstract

There are many enzymatic preparations available on the French market for wine production. Evaluations of enzymatic activities are performed by the manufacturers or distributors. In this study, methods were developed to measure the different enzymatic activities (pectolytic, hemicellulolytic, cellulolytic, and glycosidasic), which were then applied to 41 commercial enzymatic preparations. The major differences, considering the enzymatic profiles of the 41 preparations, are among the preparations labeled for color extraction, clarification, sedimentation, pressing, or polyvalent action and the preparations labeled for aroma release. The differences are as much qualitative as quantitative, without presuming the effectiveness of all these preparations.