Effect of wood type and thickness on acetification kinetics in traditional vinegar production

Maria-Jesús Torija¹, Estibaliz Mateo¹, Carlos-Alfredo Vegas¹, Carla Jara¹, Angel González¹, Montse Poblet¹, Cristina Reguant¹, Jóse-Manuel Guillamon², Albert Mas¹

¹Biotecnología enológica. Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Facultat d’enologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain; ²Departamento de Biotecnología de los Alimentos, Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (CSIC), Burjassot, València, Spain

Abstract: Traditional vinegar production is a lengthy process which implies high operational risks and jeopardizes the organoleptic characteristics of the final product. In an effort to solve these problems without changing the traditional model, we modified the wood type and thickness of vinegar barrels. We acetified in triplicate in barrels made of acacia, cherry, chestnut, and oak and in three wood thicknesses (15, 20, and 25 mm) in two different vinegar plants. The operating volume was set at 60 L. Reducing wood thickness improved neither maximum acetification velocity or the total length of the process, and in some cases even worsened them. The process took longer in oak barrels than in other types of wood barrel in one of the vinegar plants. Therefore, the choice of wood is a parameter to be considered in the wine vinegar production.

Keywords: acacia, cherry, chestnut, oak, acetic acid bacteria