Biogenic amines, such as histamine, phenylethylamine or tyramine, are able to arisen into food as degradation product of amino acids. These substances are responsible for the intolerance of some products, therefor the analysis of biogenic amines gives indications about tolerance of products.

Histamine

Histamine is a nitrogen compound with allergenic effect.
This compound gets into wine through degradation of histidine to histamine and carbon dioxide, whereby formation of this substances is able to get going through spontaneous fermentation or malolactic fermentation. Rotten grapes as well as sloppy work favour the formation of histamine, whereby red wine have higher histamine contents as white wine.
Histamine can be removed more than 90 % out of the wine through bentonite treatment, this treatment leads to colour loss into red wine. There is no legal limit for histamine in wine into EU. Swiss have had a limit of 10 mg/l until 2010.
Allergy sufferers can react for histamine in wine with headache up to shortness of breath, dizziness and itchiness from 2 mg/l.

Histamine can also appear in other products like beer, so that tolerance can be influenced.

Phenylethylamine

Phenylethylamine is a further biogenic amine, which is formed through decarboxylation of amino acid phenylalanine. In most of food the natural contents are very low and increase during fermentation and maturation.
This amine causes increased blood pressure and is suspected to trigger migraine.
Concentration of phenylethylamine in wine depends on quality of grapes. The rotten the grapes, the higher is the expected concentration of phenylethylamine into wine.

Tyramine

Tyramine is formed through decarboxylation of amino acid tyrosine and have also allergenic effects.
This compound is formed only in wine in measurable amounts, where a malolactic fermentation is done.

Ethyl carbamate also called urethane (C₃H₇NO₂) or carbamide acid may be occurred in traces in all fermented foods. Formation is made through metabolic activity from urea and different amino acids such like ornithine and citrulline.

In wine and sparkling wine

Ethyl carbamate is formed in wine in the following way:
Arginine is the mostly occurring amino acid in must. This amino acid serves yeasts as nitrogen source into must. Yeast absorbs this substance and metabolizes it to urea.
If yeast cells are not able to metabolized urea and this substance is in critical concentration, yeast cells give off the substance to wine during or after the fermentation. Then urea reacts with wine alcohol to ethyl carbamate. This chemical reaction between urea and ethanol exponentially increase at high temperatures. EU has no maximum level for ethyl carbamate in wine, whereby Canada has maximum levels from 30 µg/kg in table wine to 100 µg/kg in fortified wines.

In spirits

Due to higher concentrations of cyanide especially in stone fruit spirits, risk of occurrence of ethyl carbamate is much higher, because this substance can be formed from cyanide. Brands with elevated ethyl carbamate contents are seen as unfit for the human consumption, and therefore these products are objected governmentally. For this reason, the analysis of ethyl carbamate is useful for these products.

In other products

Ethyl carbamate can appear, in other fermented products like beer with low content as well as into wine, so that for these products the analysis of ethyl carbamate is useful for example for Export to verify maximum levels.

For the analysis of the intensity of colour the photometric absorption is measured at 420, 520 and 620 nm and then the values are summed up. The sum of coloured dot can be used as evaluation criteria of colour intensity of Products. The extractions relation of the different wavelengths allows statements about type of colour (share blue, red or brown).

In wine and sparkling wine

Colour intensity is an important characteristic to assess the quality of wine. Colour intensity of red wine gives indications for body und fullness of products.

In beer

Similar analysis of colour intensity can also be done for beer, for making possible an assessment about beer colour, whereby description of this parameter it is to be find at parameter “beer colour”.

In other products

In other coloured products this analysis can also be used to evaluate the colour intensity, for example for controlling the product characteristics.

Coumarin is in nature found, aromatic secondary plant substance. This compound has pleasant spicy odour, this substance is in large quantities harmful to health. Therefor coumarin should not be added as such to food. Coumarin can get into food through the use of aroma and food ingredient, which contain naturally coumarin. For this case, some food have legal limits for coumarin.

Into beer there is a difference between apparent extract and real extract.

Apparent extract

Apparent extract is the value, which the brewer is using in his daily life. Apparent degree of fermentation is calculated with the help of apparent extract, with this value the brewer assessed progress of fermentation and steers the processes.

Real extract

Value of real extract is more important for the evaluation of finished product, because this value is used to calculate original wort. It is also possible to use this value to generate the real degree of fermentation. Parameter real extract corresponds to parameter total extract.

Total acid is defined as sum of all titratable acid to a defined pH-value, whereby the value depends on product and land. The titratable value of total acid is not the sum of the several acids and correlate not with the pH-value, because other parameter for example buffering through cations can influenced the value. p>

in wine and sparkling wine

In Germany, total acid is titrated until pH-value 7,0 and is expressed as gram tartaric acid per litre wine. In France, the content is expressed as gram sulphuric acid per litre wine.
With a factor is it possible to compare the German and France analytical values.
–Total acid (as tartaric acid) = total acid (as sulphuric acid) * 1,531

In the European Union, legislator has provided that wine has to have a minimum total acid concentration of 3,5 g/l, calculated as tartaric acid. The acidity plays an important role for the taste and durability of wine, whereby big fluctuations are possible depends on grape variety, site and vintage. Wine from ripe grapes of good years have lower acid concentrations than wine from unripe grapes of less sunny years.

in vinegar

Total acid of vinegar is titrated until pH-value 8,2 and then calculated as acetic acid. Through the analysis, it is possible to control whether the minimum acid concentration of 60 g/l has been satisfied.

in other products

Other products such as grape juice or apple wine have also regulated minimum acid contents, so that with this analysis the observance of these product characteristics can be controlled.

Total extract

Total extract is the totality of all ingredients, which stay into distillation residue after distillation. These ingredients are especially carbs, glycerine, non-volatile acids, nitrogen compounds, tannins and colourings as well as minerals.

Value of extract can be calculated through density and alcohol content.

Extract is also called body of wine. It can also be used for verifying of wine quality, whereby red wine is in general richer in extract than white wine.

Sugar free extract

Sugar free extract is calculated from total extract reduced by content of fermentable sugars.

Sugar free extract is also used for assessment of wine quality.

Relative Density

Relative density 20/20°C is a characteristic property of a product and therefor it can be used for the identification of products. The relative density is dimensionless and the quotient of the absolute density of a liquid (at a given temperature, here 20 °C) and the absolute density of water (also at 20 °C).
Furthermore, extract of wine for example can be calculated on base of relative density.

Absolute Density

In addition to the relative density, the absolute density of a product can also be determined by the method given below. The absolute density is defined as the mass of a sample per volume and is usually expressed in g/cm³ or kg/l.

Degrees Brix

Degrees Brix is often used in the fruit processing industry to describe the relative density of a mostly sugary liquid (eg juice). The numerical value corresponds to the mass of sucrose in g, which, dissolved in 1 l of water, produces a solution with the same density as the sample examined; that means that a sample solution having the same density as a sucrose solution of 2 g/l has 2 °Brix. The sample solution does not have to contain sucrose.

Degrees Oechsle (° Oechsle, ° Oe)

The must weight is usually expressed in °OEchsle and is a relative density measure. Since the density of the must is mainly dependent on the concentration of the sugar, the must weight gives information about the ripeness of the grapes and the maximum possible alcoholic strength of the wine in case of complete fermentation of the sugar.The numerical value in ° Ochsle corresponds to mass in g, which weighs one liter of must more than one liter of pure water (each at a temperature of 20 ° C).

Actual alcohol

Actual alcohol means the number of volumes of pure alcohol contained  in 100 volumes of the product at a temperature of 20 °C. The analysis of the actual alcoholic strength by volume serves the control of legal regulations, because many products must have minimum alcohol content. On the other hand, some products like soft drinks or fruit juices have maximum values of the allowed content of alcohol, in these cases the adherence to the limit value can be verified by specific analysis of traces of alcohol.
Furthermore, beverages containing more than 1,2% by volume of alcohol, the actual alcoholic strength by volume has to be declared on the label, so the analysis of the actual alcoholic strength serviced to verify the labelled value.

Total alcohol

Total alcoholic strength by volume means the sum of the actual and potential alcoholic strengths by volume. Potential alcoholic strength by volume means the number of volumes of pure alcohol at a temperature of 20 °C capable of being produced by total fermentation of the sugars contained in 100 volumes of the product at the same temperature. Analysis of total alcoholic strength is recommended for control of legal regulations because for some products like wine exist minimum and maximum values for total alcohol.

in wine and sparkling wines

Lactones are aromatic substances in the wine. These substances are not only located in wine Grapes, it is also located in several fruit varieties. In the “Riesling” wine, these compounds are responsible for fruity aroma like peach. Alongside the natural lactones come from grapes or wines, these compounds are also indicator substances of artificial flavour. Therefore, determination of lactones is able to be an indicator for illegal addition of artificial flavour. Furthermore, carry-over of aroma can be proved through this analysis.