White Film on Carboy Neck - safe?

[VSR-Rich]

I’m one week into my MLF in a 6 gallon carboy and this white film is growing in the neck of carboy, while MLF is actively going.

Anyone know what it is? Is it safe? Should I rack to another carboy and sanitize original carboy? If I rack a MLF wine, will it disturb the MLF negatively?

Thanks and appreciate the help.

 

[Johnd]

Perfectly normal looking to me, I wouldn’t worry about anything I see in that photo.

 

[VSR-Rich]

Perfectly normal looking to me, I wouldn’t worry about anything I see in that photo.

Out of curiosity, what is that? Is it yeast build up? Or from CO2 bubbles popping and natural moisture that builds up in neck?

If I were to stir the MLF when I take samples for chromatography, should I try to reincorporate that white layer back into wine or just leave it alone? If I don’t reincorporate it, is there risk the white layer grows bacteria?

The wine is pretty vulnerable as I have not added much k-meta. Probably only 10ppm at most since crush, due to MLF.

Thanks again John, you’ve been very helpful.

 

[Johnd]

Out of curiosity, what is that? Is it yeast build up? Or from CO2 bubbles popping and natural moisture that builds up in neck?

If I were to stir the MLF when I take samples for chromatography, should I try to reincorporate that white layer back into wine or just leave it alone? If I don’t reincorporate it, is there risk the white layer grows bacteria?

The wine is pretty vulnerable as I have not added much k-meta. Probably only 10ppm at most since crush, due to MLF.

Thanks again John, you’ve been very helpful.

Could be a number of things, protein, sediment floated to th surface by CO2, etc. My MLF’ing carboys get similar little accumulations up there, seed particles sometimes, mostly disappears after the first racking off of gross lees if you do a good job racking only clear wine. Sometimes jostling around the top of the carboy will get it back into the liquid stream where it will settle out.

Until MLF is complete, I add no sulfite, and have gone 4 months in that state, it’s a bit unnerving, a well topped carboy with an airlock, and good sanitation practices, is relatively safe for the period of MLF. If you’re overly concerned, pull the bung, give the surface a quick spray with sulfite solution, and put the bung back in.

 

[VSR-Rich]

Thanks I feel better. Im going to let MLF finish, still going strong. I’ll see a 2nd chrometography tonight to see how it’s progressing. I smelled it and tasted a small sample last night when taking samples for chromo, so far so good.