Final Report – Funding cycle 2024-2025
Principal Investigator: Jim Harbertson, Washington State University, Richland
Co-PI: Madelyn Calderon, Washington State University, Richland
Summary: A short-term, one-year demonstration project was conducted to evaluate an experimental protease enzyme and compare it to conventional bentonite additions to white wine for heat stability. This research showed the viability of protease enzyme treatments to remove heat unstable proteins for white wine w.
The enzyme treatment worked in both juice and wine scenarios. The dosage used in the experiment could be optimized as the half-dose worked as well as the full dose. The enzyme was not enough to lower the turbidity for bottling, however, it did remove the heat stability proteins that bentonite additions were unable to.
Sensory analysis was not part of the trial, but bench testing suggests very small but subtle impacts.
Download the report above.