Invitation in Fining Agents UC Davis 7 th June 2013

Fining Agents Definition Making a fining addition is the process of deliberately adding a substance to a must, juice or wine. Generally, these fining agents are added to modify the composition of the juice/wine to improve its sensory characteristics.

Fining Because fining agents and processing aids come in contact with the juice/wine during processing, they can affect wine style and quality. It is important to conduct laboratory trials to asses the sensory characteristics of these materials.

What is driving the innovations? Genuine regard to provide alternatives to standard fining agents. Changes in EU labeling. Declaration of Milk and Egg or products based on these. Potential label law changes in the USA to bring wine into a closer alignment with the food industry. Open new markets with consumers currently limited by allergies.

Historical Fining Agents Time to increase our winemaking repertoire from the historical : Egg whites, Isinglass, Gelatin, Casein, Bentonite, PVPP, Activated Carbon etc. To include pea, green tea, flower based fining agents to name a few.

Regulatory Changes In the past, the only allergen listed on wines was sulfites – since it has been proven that it can cause allergic reactions particularly in people with asthma. However in the EU as of the 30 th June 2012, labeling of milk and egg allergens in a quantity of 0.5 ppm, in wine became mandatory.

Regulatory Changes As we all live in a Global world the regulatory changes occurring may also translate to labeling in the USA. Wine may well be aligned more closely with the food label requirements.

Sources of allergens Identification of all the sources of potential allergens in wine is still very much a work in progress. Many factors have been identified : Amines trigger headaches in sensitive people – for some, quite severe headaches – but others get more respiratory symptoms. They are made by some species of the lactic acid bacteria.

Sources of allergens Other sources that have been well documented are allergens related directly to yeast proteins. The yeast allergen causes more typical allergic reactions – difficulty breathing. Ethyl Acetate can also produce an allergic reaction however in wine this is generally only found if the wine is on its way to be vinegar since it is produced by acetic acid bacteria.

Sources of allergens Also according to Dr Gluseppe Palmisano, people may also have an intolerance related to the presence of lipid transfer protein (LTP) in the wine, which is known to cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Since LTP is located on the skins of grapes, it is possible that those individuals citing intolerance to red wine but not white wine have an intolerance to the LTP protein, which gets deposited in the wine after the maceration (skin contact) process of red wine production.maceration

Sources of allergens More research needs to be done on this finding since the study identified grape glycoprotein's which “looked” like allergens but have not been identified as allergens.

Example of Tannin use Bitterness/astringency reduction It is not easy to evaluate the quality of the seed in the grapes we are working with during the harvest. Sometimes it happens that their maturation is not optimal, and the polyphenols extracted gives a bitter and unripe taste to the wine. In these cases it could be difficult to remove these tannins. Strong fining rates with gelatins and PVPP can reduce their concentration, but also reduces the color and the ‘body’ of the wine.

As stated before, tannins could polymerize with other tannins in the presence of oxygen. This process improves the molecular weight and reduces their astringency. But sometimes the unripe grape seed tannins do not have enough reactivity to do it, and it is advisable to use some other reactive tannins. The most effective is the grape skin tannin like Tani-grape, because of its reactivity and the high MW Tani-Grape

Bitterness/astringency reduction Green-bitter zone High astringency zone Soft-round zone Initial tannin in the wine Tannin dosed in the wine Final copolymer

Bitterness/astringency reduction IMPORTANT: Before adding the Tani-Grape and the oxygen, BE SURE that the anthocyanins are stable, i.e. already reacted with tannin. The risk is that large anthocyanins self-polymer and could react with the high MW tannin to give an insoluble colloid!

Tani-Grape Grape (condensed) tannins are extracted from both the skins and/or seeds. To avoid the presence of anthocyanins, only white grapes are used. They are condensed tannins, with different composition according to the quality of the grapes. Grape skin tannin is used mainly to enhance wine structure and body and help to prevent color oxidation. The addition of Tani-Grape stimulates polymerization resulting in the binding of the anthocyanins resulting in a wine which has softer tannins and improved structure.

Phenol-Fine Allergen Free Does not contain any traces of GMOs or derivatives of gluten. It is produced from a "purified" vegetable protein from selections of Pisum sativum, generic pea. Trial dosage rates in the range of : lbs / 1,000 gallons

Phenol-Fine Allergen Free + Once again using a vegetable protein derived from purified" vegetable protein from selections of Pisum sativum, generic pea combined with PVPP.

Many new fining agents at this stage while being considered by the FDA as qualifying for GRAS status (Generally regarded as safe) for addition to foods are not authorized for the treatment of wine or juice. Rather they are designated as status by the TTB. This is an experimental status. Legal or Not

Sources Hypoallergenic Wines? Not so Fast by Kerry Kirkham, Vine & Wines, November, 2010

ATP Contacts Cameron Black Enology Products (707) Toni Stockhausen Technical Services Manager (707)