Temperature’s role in the production of beverages deserves much attention. This element is fundamental, especially in the phases of fermentation, conservation and stabilization.

 

Temperature control can be exercised through different methods, for example thanks to the use of refrigerant solutions inserted in the pockets of the tanks, in immersed plates or in exchangers. Cooling units equipped with systems for the storage and handling of refrigerant liquids (solutions, water or glycol water) constitute another important alternative. Temperatures can be controlled via local or remote thermoregulators on SCADA platforms, systems that can record data about fermentation temperatures in accessible archives for future analysis.

 

Temperature is crucial in the stabilization process too. In the enological field, tartaric stabilization allows for the prevention of tartrate crystals’ formation in bottled wine, the formation of lees (potassium bitartrate, commonly known as tartar cream) in the bottle, a phenomenon not appreciated by the customer.

In addition to refrigeration, stabilization can be performed using ion exchange resins.