Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges in the wine industry

The delicate art of wine making

Wine making is both a huge growth industry and a delicate,specialist art.

It takes versatility to provide technology equally attractive to bothends of the wine-making spectrum.

Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges are the only suchequipment capable of meeting all wine makers’ requirements forclarification of the must and for wine recovery.

Although factors that includetemperature, acidity, solids content andfermentation time play a big part, it isthe oxidation process that representsone of the greatest challenges in winemaking.

Alfa Laval is the world leader in suchseparation technology, with more than acentury of experience. And the mostrecent advances in Alfa Lavalseparation technology have made itpossible to finally tackle the oxidationissue effectively.

Nevertheless, we recognize that ourFoodec decanter centrifuges areultimately only tools in the hands of thewine-making expert, providing him withsignificantly better tools with which toply his craft and be even more creative.

The processIn order to produce the extensivevariety of wines currently available, winemakers have developed specialtechniques for use with different grapesand in different geographical locations.

Even though the details of the wine-making process are extremely difficultto master, it is essentially simple. Afterthe fully ripened grapes have beenpicked and crushed, the must thatresults from this is thermally conditionedusing a heat exchanger and thenallowed to settle or ferment beforeentering the press. The mixture is thenclarified prior to final fermentation. Thenew wine is then further clarified,stabilized, aged and bottled.

Wine making is now a huge worldwideindustry, yet the very best wine stilldepends on the skills of relatively fewindividuals. Wine making is thereforeoften considered more of an art than a science.

But it is also a seasonal undertaking.Production can only take place within alimited period, due to the condition ofthe grapes. The equipment used forwine making must therefore beextremely efficient and highly reliable inorder to ensure continuous processingduring this limited period.

An art with built-in challenges

The Foodec benefits for winemaking include● unparalleled sealing against

oxygen intake, which minimizes oxidation

● excellent hygiene standards, which mean better product quality

● greater separation efficiency, which means faster processing

● meticulous control, which means greater process efficiency and betterquality.

Must heating

Must cooling

Foodec decanter centrifuge

Foodec decanter centrifuge

Red wine production

White wine production

Raw young wine

Raw young wine

To malolacticfermentation

Young wine clarification

Disc stack centrifuge

First fermentation

First controlled fermentationwith colour extraction

Hat

Wine extraction

Temperaturecontrol

Foodec decanter centrifuge

Wine bottomsclarification

Collecting

Crushing

Grapes

Grapes

Must cooling

Crio-maceration

Must extraction

Must cooling

Temperature control

First fermentation

Must clarification

Collecting

Crushing anddestemming

To malolacticfermentation

Young wine clarification

Disc stack centrifuge

Must clarification

Disc stack centrifuge

Colour extraction and clarification

and fermentation therefore takes placebefore the press. White wine, however,is the result of fermenting clarifiedgrape juice without the skins, stalks orseeds. This means that these must beremoved prior to fermentation.

The main difference between makingred and white wine lies in the treatmentof the grape skins and in theclarification process before, during andafter fermentation. The skins providered wine with colour and tannic acid,

The physical separation takes place inthe clarification and recovery stage ofthe wine-making process. By removingthe solid matter and pulp, and thenclarifying the juice, the wine maker isable to control the colour, taste andfinish of the wine.

Wine making flow chart

Benefit from Foodec decantercentrifuges in your wine-makingprocessesThe unique design of the Alfa LavalFoodec range enables you to virtuallyeliminate problems with oxidation, aswell as maintaining high levels ofhygiene and drastically reducingprocessing time.

The built-in advantages of Foodecdecanter centrifuges include● advanced sealing features that limit

any possible intake of air, and thus greatly cut down on oxidation

● advanced purging and CIP systems that make cleaning much easier, quicker and cheaper

● better solids transportation that greatly reduces processing time

● a new drive and control system that gives you even better control over the separation process, to helpyou boost the quality of the end product.

Alfa Laval in wine makingFor all wine makers, quality and yieldare the most important parameters.Separation processes play a major rolein achieving the desired combinationsof wine characteristics, and Alfa LavalFoodec decanter centrifuges are idealfor such separation purposes.

Must clarificationThe grape skins, stalks and seeds havea direct influence on the colour, tasteand characteristics of white wine. Forgood wine-making results, it istherefore important to remove thismaterial effectively.

The presence of oxygen also affectsthe overall character of any wine, redor white. The amount of oxygen in theoperating environment of any wine-making equipment therefore needs tobe stringently controlled.

Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifugesare designed to handle large volumesof solids and have specially designedfeatures that virtually eliminate oxygenintake during centrifugation. This allowswine makers the best possible controlover any oxidation that may be takingplace in the wine.

Wine recoveryDuring fermentation, the wine isallowed to stand in large tanks. Overtime, any solids present settle to thebottom. The clear wine is then takenfrom the top of the tank, leaving behinda mixture of wine and solid material.This residue presents a challenge asregards both yield and handling of the waste.

Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifugeshave the solids handling capacity that,along with the special hygienic sealfeatures, provides increased yield byensuring the quality of the recoveredwine. Extracting more liquid from thematerial at the bottom of the tank alsomeans that the final waste product isextremely dry, so that waste handling isrelatively easy.

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Alfa Laval in briefAlfa Laval is a leading global provider ofspecialized products and engineeredsolutions. Our equipment, systems and services are dedicated to helpingcustomers to optimize the performanceof their processes. Time and time again.

We help our customers to heat, cool, separate and transport productssuch as oil, water, chemicals,beverages, foodstuffs, starch andpharmaceuticals.

Our worldwide organization worksclosely with customers in almost 100countries to help them stay ahead.

How to contact Alfa LavalUp-to-date Alfa Laval contact details forall countries are always available on ourwebsite at www.alfalaval.com