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Lexicon

The largest wine encyclopedia in the world with 26,332 Terms.

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lactic acid fermentation

Alternative term for malolactic fermentation; see there.

malolactic fermentation

Term for the conversion of malic acid into the milder lactic acid (Latin malum = apple, lac = milk), which plays an alternative role in the production of fruit juice, wine and sparkling wine. The process is also known as biological acid degradation (BSA), bacterial malic acid degradation, microbial acid degradation or malolactic acid fermentation. However, this is not a true alcoholic fermentation, but a fermentation in the broader biological sense. Although carbon dioxide is also released during this process, there is no conversion of sugar into alcohol. Around 1890, Dr Hermann Müller-Thurgau (1850-1927), who was working in Geisenheim at the time, correctly suspected bacteria - and not yeasts - as the cause. Dr Wenzel Seifert (1862-1942) was able to identify the acid-degrading bacterium at the Klosterneuburg Viticulture Institute in 1903 and named it "Micrococcus malolacticus".

Malolaktische Gärung - Zeichnung

Start of the process

This natural process can take 10 to 40 days. It is initiated spontaneously from around 16 °Celsius by existing or added bacteria (Oenococcus oeni). However, the process can also be started by stirring...
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This page was last modified at 21 June, 2025 at 14:52.

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