Glycerine is a three-valent alcohol of syrupy consistency, furthermore it has a sweet flavour.
in wine and sparkling wine
In grape must of healthy grapes, glycerine is detectable only in traces, but this kind of grape musts are in practice really rare, therefore low contents of glycerine are already found into normal pressed grape must. During the fermentation glycerine is formed as fermentation by product, whereby 10 percent glycerine is formed from the ethanol formation by spontaneous fermentation, while lower contents are formed by fermentations with pure culture yeast.
Formation of glycerine depends not only on the kind of fermentation, it also depends on temperature, whereby higher temperatures favour glycerine formation.
Into wine, glycerine is essential component of extract and largely defines the “body” of wine. Significantly increased concentrations into wine indicate glycerine supplement, whereby the addition may be verified through by-products of glycerine formation such like 3-MPD or diglycerine.
in beer
Into beer, glycerine is formed as fermentation by-product during the alcoholic fermentation.
- Method
- Limit of detection
- Natural occurrence (wine)
- Reason for Analysis
- HPLC
- 0,1mg/l
- ca. 5 g/l – 10 g/l (depends on the kind of wine)
- Controll of the natural Content as well as controll of illigal addition of glycerin