Instruction Manual Mi456 TITRATABLE TOTAL ACIDITY Minititrator for wine analysis
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The determination of total acids in wine is made according to a neutralization reaction, that
is the reaction between the acids found in wine and a base. This type of reaction forms the
basis of titration methods of analysing acids.
Titratable acidity is measured on a degassed sample at the end-point of 8.20 for Australian
requirements and 7.00 to fulfil the requirements of the European Union. Both results are
expressed as g/L tartaric acid.
For precise results it is very important to know the exact sample volume, titrant volume and
concentration.
The peristaltic pump has a good repeatability but the dosing volume depends on many
factors as the diameter of the tube or the tube streching. To compensate for all this errors,
the pump need to be calibrated. The calibration of the pump is also needed in order to have
high precision of the titrations. It is important to calibrate the pump at the pH value you
want to use as the endpoint of the titrations.
The calibration procedure is in fact the analysis of a known solution. By doing this, the
instrument makes a differential analysis between the standard and the wine sample. The
pump volumetric debit and the real concentration of the titrant is compensated. Only the
sample volume has to be precisely known.
