Capture of Fermentation Gas from Fermentation of Grape Must

Bozena Prusova; Jakub Humaj; Michaela Kulhankova; Michal Kumsta; Jiri Sochor; Mojmir Baron

doi:10.3390/foods12030574

Capture of Fermentation Gas from Fermentation of Grape Must

Foods. 2023 Jan 28;12(3):574. doi: 10.3390/foods12030574.

Authors

Bozena Prusova¹, Jakub Humaj¹, Michaela Kulhankova¹, Michal Kumsta¹, Jiri Sochor¹, Mojmir Baron¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Viticulture and Enology, Mendel University in Brno, Valticka 337, 691 44 Lednice, Czech Republic.

Abstract

During alcoholic fermentation, a considerable amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is produced, and the stream of CO₂ can strip aromatic substances from the fermenting must. Aroma losses during fermentation can be significant and may lead to a reduction in wine quality. This study is focused on new fermentation gas capture technology. In the experiment, gas was captured during the fermentation of sauvignon blanc must. The concentration of individual volatile compounds in the fermentation gas was determined using gas chromatography, and the highest values were achieved by isoamyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol and ethyl decanoate. Ethyl dodecanoate achieved the lowest values of the investigated volatile substances. For sensory assessment, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) compared water carbonated with fermentation gas and water carbonated with commercial carbon dioxide for food purposes. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the captured gas containing positive aromatic substances is suitable for the production of carbonated drinks in the food industry.

Keywords: carbon dioxide; fermentation gas; must; volatile aroma compounds.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by project IGA-ZF/2021-ST2005 “Capture of fermentation gas during wine fermentation” and OIV research grant 2021/2023 “Use of fermentation gas for carbonation of wines and other beverages” (realized in 2021–2022).