Sanitation spoilage

Acetic acid content is used as a criterion for aerobic bacterial spoilage in wines. We can easily analyze two wines and determine that one has a lower volatile acidity than the other. But by every available standard of product quality judgment, the wine with the higher level of acetic acid may be the superior product. It is no accident that Subpart ZZ, Part 240, Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations allows the direct addition of acetic acid to correct natural deficiencies in grape wine. As sanitation practices have improved, the so-called natural acetic acid content diminished, and this has been correlated with lower consumer acceptance in certain cases (2). 

Van Esch (1992) notes that, aside from contaminated raw material (concentrate), 95% of the contamination occurs because production demands of the bottling facility lead to shortcutting sanitation. Thomas and Davenport (1985) further report that product diversification is key to the spread of this spoilage yeast. Production of several product lines within the same facility leads to cross-contamination. They conclude that national and international trade in fruit concentrates has probably served to spread the spoilage yeast. 

Microbiological problems in the winery may be cumulative or, seemingly, spontaneous and isolated in occurrence. Fundamental to the control of microbiological spoilage is a well-functioning sanitation program. Chapter 7 deals with the basics of sanitation as well as monitoring success. 

In the wine industry, sodium percarbonate is sold under the trade name Proxycarb and is widely used to treat barrels believed to be contaminated with spoilage microorganisms and/or to neutralize offensive odors that may be present. Like other barrel treatments, 100% kill is unlikely given the porous nature of wood. It is probable that viable populations can be sequestered in areas where the compound cannot reach during a cleaning cycle. As with the use other peroxide-based cleaners/ sanitizers, employees should trained in its application and safe use. 

FABRICATED PACKAGED MEAT. With the advent of the refrigerator car, meat was shipped in exposed halves, quarters, or wholesale cuts, and divided into retail cuts in the back rooms of meat markets. But this traditional procedure leaves much to be desired from the standpoints of efficiency, sanitation, shrink, spoilage, and discoloration. To improve this situation, more and more packers are fabricating and packaging (boxing) meat in their plants, thereby freeing the back rooms of 200,000 supermarkets. 

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