Anions (chloride, fluoride, nitrate, sulphate)

Negative-charged ions shift during an electrolysis to anode (positive terminal), therefore the name “anions” was chosen. Anions arise out through electron acceptance. Anions are as well as cations for plants minerals and trace elements, that’s why every product has a typical composition. From content of anions and cations the value of ash can be generated, furthermore it is possible to carry out assessments about the ingredients and therefore quality of product. Mineral composition changes through technical modifications of products or addition of water, such changes can be detected through the analysis of anions or cations.

Chloride

Chloride content of commercial wine is between 10 and 100 mg/l, whereby higher concentrations into wine from grapes grow up beside the ocean are possible. Wine from grapes grow up not beside the ocean, high chloride content derives from contaminations or illegal addition of table salt.
Fruit juices have also low chloride content, whereby location to ocean has influence to the content as in wine.
Chloride plays an important role for quality and taste of beer, it has influence to beer’s full-bodied character. In higher concentration, it leads to salty taste in beer.

Fluoride

German wine has in average 0,12 mg/l fluorine, whereby Germany has two legal limits for fluorine in wine. Legal limit for wine from wine-growing materials not treated with cryolite is 1 mg/l fluorine, while legal limit for wine from wine-growing materials treated with cryolite is 3 mg/l fluorine.

Nitrate

Nitrates are as nitrogen compound in the right amounts for growth of yeasts and fermentation necessary. Nitrates play an important role at plants growth, but it is also important not to use too much nitrate, because the vine can react with disease symptoms or “untypical aging off-flavors” develop later into wine together with other factors. Furthermore, certain amount of nitrate is important for fermentation as yeast assimiliable nitrogen.

Fruit juices have normally low nitrate contents, so that high contents are indications for external addition of drinking water for example.

During the brewing process of beer high nitrate concentration are able to react to nitrite. Nitrite has an inhibitory effect on yeasts, so that high nitrate contents into beer or brewing water have to be avoided.

Phosphate

Organic phosphate occurs as well as inorganic phosphate into wine. Concentration is between 100 to 1000 mg/l, according to quality, origin or vintage. High concentration of phosphate into wine are due to the allowing addition of diammoniumphosphate to fresh grapes, grape must or grape must in fermentation. This nutrient salt can be used to a limit of 1 g/l, this comply with a content of phosphate of 725 mg/l.

High concentrations of phosphate into fruit juices are due to dilution of juices with water or addition of phosphate based compounds. These products have also high ash contents.

Sulphate

Wine has strongly changing sulphate contents between 100 to 1500 mg/l expressed as potassium sulphate. In addition to the possibility of determination of sulphate with ion chromatography, it is also possible determine sulphate gravimetric.

Juices have low sulphate contents; whereby higher values can be detected into sulphured raw juices or into desulphurised grape juices.

Sulphate influences the taste of beer; whereby high concentrations highlight hoppy character of beer.