Prediction of Wine Foaming

Abstract

A procedure for estimating the foam properties of sparkling base wines without specifically measuring foam was developed. This method was based on mathematical equations established between the usual parameters of wine quality control (independent variables of the equations) and the wine foam parameters [foamability (HM), Bikerman coefficient (Sigma), and surface tension (ST)] obtained with the specific equipment (dependent variables of the equations). Ninety-six white wines from the Cava region produced at industrial scale were used to establish these equations. Two predictive equations that could be applied to different types of wine from different origins were obtained: one to predict the foamability (HM) and the other to predict the Bikerman coefficient (Sigma). Moreover, the database of foam parameters of the 96 wines allowed a qualitative assessment of wine foaming values.