Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are used in the concentration of grape musts in winemaking. Both technologies offer an effective way to concentrate the grape musts, reducing the volume and the solids content to achieve desired characteristics in the final wine. The choice between nanofiltration and reverse osmosis depends on the specific needs of the winemaker and the desired characteristics. It is important to carefully consider the properties of the grape musts and the performance of the selected membranes to optimize the concentration process and ensure the desired outcome. Herein, we present a novel approach that allows us to choose a suitable membrane for an optimal industrial process for the concentration of musts, both in reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. The proposed method consists of combining the fitting equations of laboratory results with the balance equations on the industrial plant. Specifically, a full-scale plant has been designed and assembled with which grape musts of Trebbiano, Verdeca, Black Bombino, and White Bombino varieties have been concentrated through the selected best-performing membranes. Results of the proposed approach show that grape musts with sugar content commercially appreciated when the membranes work at high pressure can be obtained.

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important issue in the wine industry worldwide. The focus on quality in wine production has led to increased attention being paid to the product at all stages of processing. The interaction with mechanical components is considered one of the possible critical points in the vinification process, and it becomes fundamental to optimize specific points in the wine production line using the best extraction technique. Therefore, in this work, experimental monitoring of two types of product circulation systems in fermentation was carried out in a winery in Puglia (Italy). In particular, the functional performance and energy consumption of two identical vinification lines were monitored, in which the only variables were two types of circulating systems for the fermenting must: pump-over and pneumatic cap breaking. During the trials, a homogeneous batch of Primitivo grapes was processed, hand-picked and taken to the winery within 1 h of harvesting, where a “ready-to-drink” wine production line was set up. A net quantity of 1000 hL of destemmed grapes was placed in two identical vertical steel tanks. Both wine tanks were monitored and equipped with an automated assembly system and a pneumatic marc breaker. Once both tanks were filled, a first break of the cap was carried out using a pneumatic system in one tank and an automatic pump-over in the other. For the grapes and type of wine studied, the pneumatic system showed better functional performance in terms of vinification speed and energy consumption; on the other hand, the pump-over system performed better in analytical terms. Finally, the results obtained highlight the need for further studies on equipment design to obtain significant benefits in terms of wine production costs while maintaining the quality standards required for “ready-to-drink” wines.

In extra virgin olive oil production, it is essential to obtain a well-prepared olive paste which allows not only the extraction of the oil drops from the olives, but also the achievement of a high-quality oil while maintaining high yields. This work addresses the problem of determining the effect of three crushing machines on the viscosity of the olive paste: a hammer crusher, a disk crusher and a de-stoner were tested. The tests were repeated on both the paste leaving each machine and the paste to which water was added; this was done with the main aim of considering the different dilutions of the paste while entering the decanter. A power law and the Zhang and Evans model were used to analyse the rheological behaviour of the paste. The experimental results allow validation of the two models with a high (more than 0.9) coefficient of determination between experimental and numerical data. The results also show that the pastes obtained with the two classic crushing methods (hammers and disks) are almost identical, with a packing factor of about 17.9% and 18.6%, respectively. Conversely, the paste obtained with the de-stoner entails higher viscosity values and a smaller solid packing factor, of about 2.8%. At 30% dilution with water, the volume of the solid concentration dropped to about 11.6% for the hammer and disc crushers, while for the de-stoner it only reached 1.8%. This behaviour is also reflected in the evaluation of yields, which were 6% lower with the de-stoner. No significant differences regarding the legal parameters of oil quality were found using the three different crushing systems. Finally, this paper establishes some fundamental pillars in the research for an optimal model for identifying the rheological behaviour of the paste as a function of the crusher used. Indeed, since there is an increasing need for automation in the oil extraction process, these models can be of great help in optimizing this process.

The problem of simulating complex systems, such as production lines, industrial plants, food processing, etc., today represents an opportunity that brings with it the great advantage of limiting design costs. However, nowadays the designer, after defining and implementing the mathematical models of the studied process, may need to rebuild the whole simulation framework because he needs to modify the model of even just one subsystem. It is for this reason that in this paper, a new framework for the use of Individual Subsystem Models (ISM) for the modelling and simulation of interconnected systems has been studied and implemented. Furthermore, the study of the state of the art has revealed the lack of efficient and sufficiently general numerical algorithms, but, at the same time, it is simple to use to solve the algebraic-differential equations deriving from the ISM simulation. The proposed new approach follows the paradigm of co-simulation methods, including graph theory methods, to solve the general ISM simply and efficiently. In this approach, each subsystem is required to have its own representation independently of the other subsystems. In this way, it is always possible to replace any subsystem whenever an updated representation becomes available, making maintenance and evolution of the entire ISM flexible. Our framework calls each subsystem separately in an optimal (suboptimal) order based on the structure of the graph. Each calculated output is transferred to the input of the next subsystem in the chosen. The general procedure has been validated in the context of Linear and Time-Invariant ISMs: in these hypotheses, the stability conditions have been calculated and numerical tests have been performed which show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Fermentation temperature plays a critical role in defining the chemical and sensory characteristics of wine. This study evaluates the thermal distribution and energy consumption of two fermentation techniques, Sequential Air-Modulated Injection System (AMI system) and pumping-over, during Syrah must fermentation. Temperature measurements at different depths of the fermentation tanks revealed that the AMI system maintained a more homogeneous thermal profile, reducing temperature gradients that could affect yeast metabolism. In contrast, the pumping-over system exhibited greater temperature fluctuations, potentially impacting fermentation kinetics. Energy consumption analysis showed that the AMI system required less external cooling, leading to lower energy demands compared to the pumping-over system. These results suggest that the AMI system offers advantages in terms of energy efficiency and temperature management, making it a viable alternative for sustainable winemaking. The findings highlight the need for optimized fermentation strategies to balance thermal control and energy use, ultimately improving wine quality.

This study compares the energetic and functional aspects of pneumatic and traditional disintegration methods during the vinification of Negroamaro grapes to produce ready-to-drink wine, focusing on sustainability and energy efficiency in winemaking. It addresses the critical need to reducing costs and environmental impact in the wine industry through improved energy efficiency and sustainable practices. The experimental tests conducted reveal that the pneumatic system exhibits advantages in terms of energy consumption, production time, and thermal homogenization during fermentation compared to the traditional system. Results indicate that the pneumatic system requires significantly lower energy consumption and shorter operating times during fermentation and pressing phases while maintaining consistent wine quality, highlighting its potential for more efficient and sustainable winemaking practices.