TOP 10 REASONS

FOR FERMENTATION FAILURE

Reason #6
Lack Of Nutrients:

Having sufficient nutrients in a must is an integral part of any
successful fermentation. Without nutrients the yeast is unable to
perform to its fullest ability. The result is a fermentation that
is sluggish and quite often, one that will stop
altogether--before the fermentation is complete.

The typical nutrient-deficient fermentation will usually struggle
along with some success for the first few days and then seemingly
hit a brick wall, ceasing all but an insignificant amount of
activity. This scenario occurs primarily because the yeast is
able to consume the simplest sugars that are available without
much nutritional need. But as the simple sugars are used up and
the preserving effects of alcohol starts to increase, the yeast
cells end up simply "meeting their match".

Another reason the yeast will stop in mid-fermentation, is that
the little amount of nutrients that were available to the yeast
are now gone. The yeast actually consumes them, leaving the must
that was just short on nutrients, now with next to no nutrients
at all.

When making wine from grape juice, either fresh or packaged,
nutritional needs are easily met by simply adding what is known
to home winemakers as "Yeast Nutrient" or "DAP" which stand for
Di-Ammonium Phosphate.

There are two reasons why nutritional needs are fully met so
easily when fermenting wine from grapes. The first being that
wine yeast are specifically developed with grape juice in mind.
The various strains of wine yeast are actually developed in a
grape juice environment so as to acclimate them to grape juice.
The result is yeast strains that are very happy with the set of
nutrients that grape juices typically provide.

The second reason is that when making wine with grape juice, very
seldom is the juice diluted with water. So the nutrients from the
grape juice are at full strength as well. Even when making wines
from concentrated grape juices, this holds true. The concentrates
when diluted back to their original volume, contain a same wealth
of nutrition as they did before being processed.

The only thing you can really do to improve the set of nutrients
in these grape juices is to add "Yeast Nutrient," as mentioned
earlier. This product adds both nitrogen and phosphorus to a
fermentation. You can kind of think of it as adding fertilizer to
your yeast.

Unfortunately, when making wines with most other fruits the plot
thickens a little. When making wines from berries, plums and the
like, having ample nutrition in the right balance for the yeast
is a significant issue that needs to be addressed.

With these types of wines, the nutrients that are naturally
provided by the fruit may not be of the balance or type that
yeast needs to perform to their maximum ability. Also with these
wines, the juice almost always needs to be diluted significantly
with water and sugar. This in turn dilutes the various vitamins,
proteins and minerals as well.

When making these types of wines a more well rounded set of
nutrients is required. One that not only provides more nitrogen
and phosphorus in a simple form such as our Yeast Nutrient, but
one that also provides proteins, minerals and vitamins in a
proper balance. Such is the case with "Yeast Energizer."

Yeast Energizer is designed specifically for nutritionally aiding
the fermentation of everything from berries to bananas. It
contains a blend of nutrients that helps to fill the nutritional
voids that some recipes can create.

One way to know if Yeast Energizer is needed in a wine you are
making is by giving it a simple test. Ask yourself, "how close is
the produce I am using to a grape?" The closer the produce is to
a grape, the less likely you will need to use Yeast Energizer.
For example, a currant wine is much less likely to require Yeast
Energizer than say, watermelon wine.

Another way to know is by simply following a recipe. Most recipes
will indicate if "Yeast Nutrient" or "Yeast Energizer" is
required. There really is no reason to second guess a recipe that
indicates a specific type of nutrient. Just the fact that the
recipe calls for a nutrient of any kind, usually means that it is
probably from a sound source.

As a final note, there are some produces that put a tremendous
strain on the yeasts' ability to ferment. Some of these would be
things like honey, dandelions and vegetables. With these types of
produces, nutrients may be plentiful, but they are not of the
kind wine yeast need. When fermenting these types of musts, we
recommend not only using Yeast Energizer, but also using
something called "Ghostex" along with it. Ghostex enhances the
yeasts' ability to multiply itself. This gives the yeast a
fighting edge when it comes to completing a fermentation.

- To read a little more about wine making nutrients, see the
following article listed on our web site:

"A Few Words About Nutrients"
 

- For more information about the nutrients we offer, go to:

Wine Making Nutrients


 

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