In recent years, Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology has been developing in laboratories and is starting to be established in the industry, mainly in the agri-food sector. So far all experimentations on the use of PEF in the wine industry was carried out at the laboratory scale on some kilograms of grapes, or liters of wines. Since 2015, we are studying the interest of the use of PEF on grape polyphenols extraction on a semi-industrial scale of 2 tons per hour. The first tests were carried out by comparing the PEF technology to a control, and a conventional thermovinification with liquid phase vinification and traditional vinification with different fermentation times. The first results obtained are encouraging. Vinified in the liquid phase, the grapes treated with PEF give wines with a color intensity of 20 to 30% higher than the control and a higher TPI of 7 to 17%. In the liquid phase, the treatment of the harvest by PEF does not make it possible to obtain the extraction level of the thermovinification. After a short maceration of 3 days, the polyphenols extraction level is similar to the thermovinification, and greater after 14 days, and so is the color (respectively +12 and +16%). No change in IBMP content was observed. The wines resulting from treatment of the harvest by PEF do not have the aromatic profile of thermovinification wines. The PEF has a fruity character comparable to the control and accentuates the aromatic characteristics of the grape variety. The wine are often judged less aggressive and astringent by reinforcing the perception of sweetness and full bodied. A few tests in white grape harvest by PEF, shows a significant gain of the thiols and terpenols.
For more than ten years, pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has been the subject of a growing number of publications and patents. The technology previously reserved for laboratories is becoming more and more popular and is now a success in the food industry. Since 2015, with the help of the Occitania region, we have been studying the use of the PEF on the microbiological stability of wines on a semi-industrial scale from 5 to 12 hl/hour. This low thermal and energy consuming physical technology requires no inputs to ensure the destruction of microorganisms and microbial stabilization of wines. These tests are performed with a 7 kV/cm electric field generated between the 2 electrodes of the treatment chambers. The objective is to ensure the microbial stabilisation of wines not exceeding 50 ∘C and to cool the wine immediately after treatment without maintaining it at high temperature. The study of the effectiveness of PEF on yeast destruction is carried out during the mutage of sweet wines. The first results obtained show a very good efficiency of the yeast treatment with an instant cessation of alcoholic fermentation and a decrease in the yeast population ranging from − 3 to − 5 Log. No SO2 addition is then required. On wines contaminated by Brettanomyces, the tests show an almost total elimination (< 1/100 ml) of these yeasts by the PEF treatment. These tests also showed that a higher energy level is required to eliminate all lactic acid bacteria from wine. No effects on the physico-chemical characteristics of the wines were found. The impact on the organoleptic characteristics of wines is ongoing. An optimization of the electrical parameters is still necessary.
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