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Date of Submission: June 08, 2016

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Preparation of Wine Through Simple Fermentation Process

Gaspar Rickie Mae S. ; Medarlo De Jesus

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I.

BACKGROUND OF THE EXPERIMENT

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Wine has importance in many social and religious contexts in our society today,

as it has for thousands of years. The basic fermentation process whereby alcohol is produced from
the sugar in grapes is very simple, but its chemistry is still not completely understood. As this
knowledge increases, winemakers are being helped to improve the quality of their wine. Common
source of this wine are grapes. Grape juice consists of 79% water and 20% carbohydrates, 1%
organic acids and trace amounts of organic acids, phenolics, vitamins, minerals and nitrogenous
compounds. The sugars, organic acids and phenolics give the juice its flavour, while the vitamins,
minerals and nitrogenous compounds are, in many cases, essential to yeast growth and
fermentation. Wine has a similar composition, but has much lower levels of sugar (none in dry
wines), 8 - 13% alcohol and a greater range of minor components.
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In the production of all these wines, chemistry is important, and as some of the

complexities of wine, chemistry have begun to be understood, chemists have been able to
contribute greatly to the improvement of wine quality. Hence, to be able to further understand the
reactions evolving within the process of wine making, a simple experimentation was conducted.
Specifically, through the fermentation process.
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Fermentation is begun by inoculating the juice with the chosen wine yeast. This

yeast catalyses a series of reactions that result in the conversion of glucose and fructose to
ethanol:
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C6H12O6 2C2H5OH + 2CO2

The driving-force behind this reaction is the release of energy stored in the sugars to

make it available to other biological processes. In aerobic conditions, the reaction can proceed
further and convert the ethanol to H2O and CO2, releasing all of the energy present in the original
sugars. This process is undesirable in wine production, so fermentation is usually carried out
under a blanket of CO2 to exclude oxygen and hence maximize alcohol production.
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2

Wine

Sugar, g

Yeast, g

Date of Submission: June 08, 2016

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Juice, g

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12
the wine
each
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10 W-1
11
15 W-2
16
20 W-3
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12 50

13 3

14 200

17 100

18 1

19 200

22 100

23 3

24 200

The following are

formulations of
samples.

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II.

DATA AND RESULTS

A. Sugar and yeast composition of the wines

25 Wine
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29 W-1
30
33 W-2
34
37 W-3
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27 % Sugar

28 % Yeast

31 19.76%

32 1.186%

35 33.22%

36 0.332%

39 33.00%

40 0.99%

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23
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25

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From the table above, it shows that wine 2, W2, has the most sugar with least

yeast, while wine 1 has the least sugar composition yet has the most yeast among the
three. Eqn 1.1 shows that sample computations for the table above.
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Observations: Wine 1 had a cloudier white color followed by wine 3. Bubbles

formed fastest in wine 1 then wine 3.

B. Results of Tests

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Date of Submission: June 08, 2016

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29
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41 Mixtu

42 Specific Gravity

re

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44 Arom

46 Taste

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48 Clarity

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50 C

52 Before
53 Ferment
60 W-1

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54 After
55 Ferment

ation

ation

62 1.126

63 1.01

64 Yeast

65 Least

domin
ant

Sweet

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68 W-2

70 1.183

ol
or

71 1.12

72 Wine

66 Least
precipita
te

67 Li
gh
te
st
75 Li
gh
t

73 Sweete
74 Same
is
st
more
domin
ant
76 W-3
78 1.185
79 1.07
80 Yeasty 81 Sweet
82 Same
83 D
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in
ar
smell
k
Table B shows the different observations after 1 week of fermentation process has elapsed. Based on the
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data, the specific gravity has been reduced approximately closer to 1.00 after the fermentation process.

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III.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
32 During the preparation of the fruit juice that will be fermented, the preliminary
characteristics of each formulation were noted: % sugar, % yeast and specific gravity. W-1
has the lowest percent sugar but has the highest percent yeast. On the other hand, W-2 has the
highest percent sugar but has the lowest percent yeast. Sugar dissolved fastest in W-1 because
it has the least amount of sugar mixed with same amount of fruit juice. W-2 has the greatest
specific gravity of 1.12 since it has the greatest amounts of sugar which greatly contribute to
the volume and mass of the solution.
33 The analytical laboratory is involved throughout the wine making process, from
fermentation to bottling. Tests are also carried out at least twice to ensure the quality and that
illegal 'improvements' (such as the ethanol production) have not been occurred . While it may
be important to maximize the yield of ethanol it is equally important that this is never
achieved with complete efficiency. The various byproducts of yeast metabolism formed by
this inefficiency contribute to wine's distinctive flavor and aroma and prevent it from simply
being alcoholic plum (or preferred tests) juice.

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Date of Submission: June 08, 2016

34 In addition, the specific gravity, an important selection of standard test, was used
to determine when the fermentation is nearly finished. The juice initially has a specific
gravity greater before fermentation take place, due mainly to dissolve sugars. When the
specific gravity falls to 1.000, the wine is nearly ready. This can be simply monitored by
testing specific gravity, but in industries, some manufacturers also use "Clinitest" tablets (as
used by diabetics) or the Fehling reaction for more precise monitoring as the specific gravity
approaches 1.000. From the data, it appeared that wine 1 has obtained a specific gravity
closer to 1. This is expected since wine 1 contains the least amount of sugar. And the level of
alcohol in the finished wine is determined by the level of sugar in the juice from which it is
made. Thus, after the level of alcohol has been reached, usually 15%, the yeasts will die
naturally and any leftover sugars will remain in the wine.
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IV.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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Based on the findings of this experiment, the researcher concludes the following:

The wine produced is of great quality yet dry in taste.

Among the three (3) formulations it can be inferred as well that it is at best when
the quantity ratio of the sugar to yeast is in the desired tolerance level in order to
achieve best result.

In terms of taste, the sweetness of the wine indicates a strong function of

fermentation conversion, validated by the amount of CO2 evolved, indicated by
the change in density of the substance.

Yeast acts as the primary enzyme (responsible for the fermentation of the wine)
biological catalyst.

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The industry of wines has been considered as one of the most sought after

industry in the global market. Many people are now trying to include wines as part of
their daily living. Having been realizing such aspects, each wine can be produced in
several methodology depending on what the target or country you are located. And each
is able to provide a distinctive strategy to position their wines in the global market.
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The experiment used plum juice as a test sample, other than grapes, for the wine

making process. Thus with insufficient information of the said sample, further researches

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Date of Submission: June 08, 2016

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are recommended for a more detailed compositions of the fruit and for further
improvement of its conversion to product wine.
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