New technology from Pall Corporation aims to solve the universal vintners' problem of spoiled wine. The company claims its OenoPure filter can remove organisms that adversely affect wine quality and shelf life without altering colour or taste.
The OenoPure filter effectively removes harmful contaminants during the critical filtration step before bottling. At the heart of the filter is a proprietary inert membrane that minimises interaction with the wine and thereby preserves its characteristic flavour and colour. This is critical, especially for premium brand wines.
"This new filter technology is another leap forward in assuring the microbial stability of wine, which is key to a purer product," said Wolfgang Platz, corporate vice president, Pall Food and Beverage. "We are pleased to partner with the wine industry to help them balance long-standing traditions with today's requirements for production innovations."
Pall currently offers integrated filtration and separation solutions for every stage of the winemaking process to vintners around the world.
The characteristics of the OenoPure filter - reliable microbial control, durability and inert nature - provide wineries with what the company says is an efficient and economical solution to wine processing. Pall's proprietary Polyethersulfone filtration membrane is formed into a high surface area cartridge with Pall's Ultipleat technology. The filter can be sanitised with most currently used methods including hot water, steam and chemicals. Its durable PES membrane can be repeatedly sanitised with hot water for over 500 cycles, further improving the economics of wine processing - the company claims.
The OenoPure filter is the latest addition to the Pall OenoVations line of products for wine processing. Complementary products in the line are the OenoClear and OenoStar filters, for the prefiltration steps in microbial stabilization, and the OenoFlow Hollow Fibre Microfiltration system, for clarification.
Pall Corporation is currently the global leader in the rapidly growing field of filtration, separations and purification. Pall's business is organised around two broad markets: life sciences and industrial. In addition to serving the food and beverage industry, the company provides products for the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, transfusion medicine, semiconductors, municipal drinking water and aerospace. The company is headquartered in East Hills, New York, and has operations in more than 30 countries, which last year accounted for total revenues of $1.3 billion (€1.2bn).