Ions in Wine and Their Relation to Electrical Conductivity Under Ultrasound Irradiation

Abstract

Abstract Change in electrical conductivity is considered apotential indicator for the on-line monitoring of wine aging accelerated by ultrasound, as determined inour previous study; however, the exact mechanism of change is currently unclear. In this study, the ion content and the total ionic strength were analyzed by ion-exchange chromatography to investigate the change mechanism of the electrical conductivity of wineunder ultrasound irradiation. The results indicate that the changes in wine electrical conductivity during ultrasound treatment correlate with the changes in the cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and NH4+) and in the anions from the organic acids (malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, oxalic acid, and formic acid) and inorganic acids (Cl−, SO42−, and PO43−), especially for the ionic strength of the wine. Overall, electrical conductivity may be used to reflect the chemical reactions related to wine aging to a certain extent becausethe reactions can be initiated by the conversion of cations and by the degradation or auxiliary functionof organic acids.