James Nelson*
*University of California, Davis, 595 Hilgard Ln, Davis, CA, 95616 (jjnel@ucdavis.edu)

The field of wine fermentation modeling can be traced back to the late 1970’s, when alcoholic fermentation models were first extended to address initial sugar concentrations of 200 to 240 g/L, ethanol concentrations of 100 to 110 g/L, a mixture of glucose and fructose and the decline in cell viability. Today, wine fermentation models, in combination with sensors, are being used to provide early diagnosis and prediction of abnormal fermentations at commercial wineries. In this work, multiple wine fermentation models were compared for their mathematical descriptions of cell growth, substrate consumption, product formation, temperature variation, cell death and the calculation of density from solution composition and solute properties. The models were also evaluated on a red and white commercial fermentation data set across a wide range of winemaking conditions. Only one model appeared suitable for application to commercial fermentations. The limitations of current models and suggestions for areas of advancement in the field are presented.

Funding Support: T.J. Rodgers University Fellowship in Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rossi Endowment in Viticulture & Enology