The effect of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) addition at dosage stage on the foam attributes of traditional method English Sparkling Wine

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a novel winemaking product used in winemaking to prevent potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate deposits from forming. These deposits are particularly detrimental when occurring in bottles of traditional method sparkling wine ahead of disgorging or in the finished product as they can cause gushing of the wine when bottles are opened. Despite CMC being used by several sparkling winemaking producer, its effect on the behaviour of foam, a key indicator of sparkling wine quality, has not been systematically tested. In this work we assessed the effect of CMC (StabivinTM) addition to English Sparkling Wine (ESW) at the dosage stage at levels ranging from 0.25 mg/L to 1 mg/L. Foamability and foam stability was assessed using two methods; an adapted Mosalux method and a novel image analysis method, designed to simulate more accurately ‘real world’ serving conditions when assessing foam behaviour. Parameters as foam height, foam stability, collar formation and stability, foam collapsing time, changes in viscosity were all measured. Despite different rates of CMC addition, it showed little effects on some of the foam parameters observed when compared to the control, overall detrimental effect of CMC on foam attributes was observed. These results suggest CMC can be added at the dosage stage without compromising ESW foam quality attributes.