Oxygen and other Gas Prevention

[TxBrew]

At what point(s) does introduction of oxygen/other gases become any issue PRIOR to fermentation?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

At what point(s) does introduction of oxygen/other gases become any issue PRIOR to fermentation?

Are you referring during cold masculation ?

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, it is possible to oxidize non-fermented juice, giving you a brownish tinge and stewy flavors. Is this the kind of thing you are concerned about?

 

[ceeaton]

Are you referring during cold masculation ?

I don't think I'd have four kids if I kept my masculation cold.

 

[sour_grapes]

Shrinkage!

 

[TxBrew]

Are you referring during cold masculation ?

No, just speaking in terms of juice storage. Prior to wine making, the extract juice, does the introduction of oxygen or any other naturally occurring environment matter pre-fermentation?

Example; let's say you have a 55 gallon drum of wine juice that was exposed for 24 hours to the elements, lid left open. You seal it and go back 1 month later to use the juice to make wine with.

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, here the concern would not be oxidation, but rather spoilage and/or fermentation from microbes. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't eat food that was just left to sit in a tupperware container for a month.

 

[Floandgary]

We're not shootin' from the hip here are we??? Even rainwater in an open barrel can get funky! Fruit juice or grape?? ordinary drum or food-safe?? Lid loose or completely off?? Outside or indoors?? Smell it,,, anything floating on top?,, take a little taste. Seems ok?, proceed to get readings. SG., acid, Ph... May want to take a gallon and process it just to see what it will turn into... don't be shy with K-meta. On the other hand, it may have fallen victim to some wild yeast and fermented into something you could put in your lawn mower!!!! 55 gallons of wine juice sitting around for a month is a crime in and of itself anyway!! GOOD LUCK

 

[JohnT]

I suppose that it is possible to store 55 gallons of grape juice for a month provided you take necessary precautions. First, I would slam that juice with at least 100ppm of s02 and I would also adjust the PH to a min of 3.4 or 3.5. If sealed right away, I bet you could store it for a month.

I keep thinking about tetra-paks (aka juice boxes). They have a shelf life of over a year. Parents do not think twice about tossing juice that is well over a month old into their kid's lunch box...

The question is this though.. Which would you expect to taste better... Juice from fresh squeezed apples or juice from a juice box?

 

[Double Daylo]

I'm no chemist but I would be very weary. Without any preservatives I can't imagine the juice not forming bacteria. Short of freezing the juice I would think that in a Months time you would be wasting alot of time and money trying to use that juice.

 

[Turock]

Yes, you should not allow any other flora to overtake the juice because then it will be in direct competition with your pitched yeast for the nutrients you add. If the flora is strong enough, it CAN out-compete the yeast. This why we SO2 our musts-----for biological control.