Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/331901
the lower pressure filtrate side. The sweeping forward motion across the membrane surface keeps the membrane pores from fouling where the unfil- tered product (or retentate) is returned to the feed tank to make another round across the filter. The retentate pro- gressively becomes more con- centrated and eventually cannot be filtered. (My experi- ence is that this fraction is less than 0.5% of the total volume filtered.) The benefits here are similar to that of the afore- mentioned juice clarification techniques: to clarify a juice without the aid of natural set- tling is a more efficient pro- cess with respect to labor, energy and available winery resources. Sensors that save money Sensors are probably one of the biggest advances in wine technology. It is hard to say whether any one sensor is bet- ter than another; it is all dependent on what your goals are in applying sensor technol- ogy and the sensor's ability to capture the data point you are seeking. I recall a personal experi- ence where sensors would have been extremely beneficial in resolving a filtration issue. The timing and technology advances were not current, and our team struggled with trying to determine why wine that appeared to be bottle- ready was fouling the mem- brane filters to the point of shutting down our bottling operations every day. If we had been able to incorporate pressure sensors that read up- to-the-minute measurements and were viewable to a cellar supervisor via tablet or the Internet, we would have saved thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Advances in sensors and the ability for them to report real-time data is now a standard of sensor technology. Our research fermentors, developed by Cypress Semi- conductor, currently are able to transmit tank jacket tem- perature, must temperature, juice temperature, Brix, pump status (on/off/mode) and sys- tem set points. A recent proj- ect will focus on the values of sensors in practical industry applications. Our new set of research fermentors, devel- oped by Placer Process Sys- tems, will incorporate fluid flow, differential tank product pressure and temperature in real time to an operator inter- face. In addition, with the incorporation of automated valves, the entire system status can be displayed in real time for a user to activate both manual and automated processes. The reality of sensor tech- nology is that it provides a real-time tool for wine pro- cesses. Incorporation into any winery's daily process moni- toring and controls systems provides the winemaker or system managers tools to view real-time transmissions and provide support for operations that need attention. For any of the technologies presented here, there is opportunity to apply sensor technology. You as a customer should query the vendor and provide them with the goals of your program (perhaps relating back to the labor, energy and water issue). To circle back to whether a technology makes a better wine or not: Who knows? Your ability to interpret the information and mobilize resources to react to that information is tantamount. If your goals are set, and you understand the expectations and possible outcomes, then it is up to you to determine if the differences translate to a better wine. Chik Brenneman is the Uni- versity of California, Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology winemaker and facili- ties manager responsible for oversight of the campus win- ery and vineyards. W i n e s & V i n e s J U LY 2 0 1 4 39 T E C H N O L O G Y