Wine and Must Analysis
A smart solution to wine quality control
Discover a simple way to control wine quality throughout production with the ALPHA II FTIR wine analyzer. It quickly analyzes must, fermenting must, and finished wine in one easy measurement, providing key quality results in seconds. With no need for complex preparation or extra materials, it's a highly cost-effective solution.
- Simultaneous analysis of multiple parameters in one measurement
- Reliable results with robust ATR measurement technique
- No sample preparation required
- Comprehensive calibrations for finished wines, fermenting must, and must
- Ability to create new calibration databases
- User-friendly with software-guided step-by-step analysis
- Compact, portable design
- Low maintenance and operational costs
The ALPHA II Wine Analyzer, built on the reliable Bruker ALPHA II FTIR spectrometer, is compact, mobile, and user-friendly. It can analyze both liquids and solid samples, like wine lees, using a diamond-ATR (see below) unit.
Designed for easy use, even by beginners, the analyzer guides users through the process with a software wizard, minimizing errors. Measuring a sample is simple: just inject it into the flow-through cell, enter the sample information, and press “OK.” The analysis is fully automated, taking about two minutes, and the cleaning process involves injecting water.
Results are displayed and accompanied by a detailed report in PDF or CSV format. Users can also add custom calibrations to expand analysis options for other products, such as juices and beer
A method that everybody can use: ATR
The ALPHA II Wine Analyzer uses a robust measurement method called ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection). A durable diamond crystal is used for sample testing, allowing for precise and consistent results without any sample preparation.
In simple terms, light is reflected through the diamond crystal, and when a sample is placed on it, part of the light interacts with the sample. This interaction is measured and turned into a spectrum that shows key details about the sample.
Compared to other methods, ATR offers several advantages: it maintains a consistent measurement layer, is resistant to chemicals and scratches, and works well with cloudy or outgassing samples.
Use our extensive calibration set
Bruker provides starter calibrations for analyzing finished wine, must, and fermenting must. These calibrations can be expanded with your own data for further optimization or customization.
The calibration data comes from over 2000 red and white wines, covering more than 60 grape varieties from wine-producing regions worldwide, including Europe, the Americas, Australia, and South Africa. This data can also be used for analyzing fermenting must.
Table 1 lists the parameters included in the starter calibrations and their ranges. The accuracy of these calibrations was tested on over 3000 wine samples, with consistent results across different wines. The table below shows the precision of the calibration, based on repeated measurements of a single wine over several weeks.
These are our calibrated parameters
Finished Wine:
- Alcohol
- Density
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Glycerol
- pH
- Saccharose
- Total acid / total sugar
- Acetic / citric / lactic / malic / tartaric acid
Must:
- Brix
- Density
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Malic acid
- pH
- Probable Alcohol
- Total acid
- Total sugar
Must under Fermentation:
- Alcohol
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Malic acid
- Total acid
- Total sugar
| Unit | Conc. Range | RMSEP | Average | Std. dev. | |
| Alcohol | % | 0.12 - 20.48 | 0.27 | 8.7 | 0.09 |
| Density | n/a | 0.9116 - 1.1742 | 0.0014 | 1.0181 | 0.00038 |
| Fructose | g/l | 0.1 - 111.5 | 0.71 | 34.4 | 0.49 |
| Glucose | g/l | 0.2 - 125.6 | 0.87 | 15.3 | 0.58 |
| Glycerol | g/l | 0.1 - 25.9 | 0.64 | 7.1 | 0.25 |
| pH | n/a | 2.75 - 4.05 | 0.11 | 3.0 | 0.05 |
| Saccharose | g/l | 0.5 - 178.4 | 0.80 | 0.5 | 0.31 |
| Total acid | g/l | 2.9 - 13.5 | 0.31 | 8.6 | 0.18 |
| Total sugar | g/l | 0.0 - 199 | 1.48 | 49.5 | 0.91 |
| Acetic acid | g/l | 0.1 - 1.5 | 0.14 | 0.3 | 0.03 |
| Citric acid | g/l | 0.0 - 6.5 | 0.27 | 0.7 | 0.13 |
| Lactic acid | g/l | 0.0 - 4.3 | 0.31 | 0.3 | 0.09 |
| Malic acid | g/l | 0.1 - 4.7 | 0.40 | 3.5 | 0.17 |
| Tartaric acid | g/l | 0.5 - 5.4 | 0.43 | 3.1 | 0.16 |
FT-IR can go beyond wine analysis
The ALPHA II Wine Analyzer simplifies and enhances wine analysis with features like solid substance identification and fermentation monitoring. Its optional automation tools streamline measurements for consistent and efficient results. Key functionalities include solid substance measurement, fermentation monitoring, and automated sample handling.
Trub substance measurement
Measuring solid substances in wine is easy with the ALPHA II. By removing the liquid cell, you can use the diamond ATR to identify trub (solid) substances in wine, as well as verify the identity of raw materials. Simply press the substance onto the crystal using the included clamp, and the measurement is done in seconds. The system automatically compares the result to a library of 30 common trub substances.
Fermentation monitoring
Monitoring the fermentation process is crucial for producing high-quality wine. FT-IR is a versatile tool for process and reaction monitoring. The optional OPUS-DATABASE package allows you to store all measurement data and visually track changes in key parameters with a "Trend-View." This feature lets you display up to four trend lines at once, making it easy to monitor the fermentation process in real time.
Automated sample handling
An optionally available autosampler facilitates fully automated measurements of up to 63 samples in a row. The samples are tightly sealed in glass vessels with septa caps to prevent evaporation. The autosampler is further equipped with a fixed wash reservoir that always provides clean water for background measurements and an integrated tow channel peristaltic pump.
