Malic acid

Name according to the International Nomenclature for malic acid; see there.

This chemical compound (also known as malic acid, hydroxy succinic acid or malic acid) is one of the three most important organic acids in wine alongside tartaric acid and citric acid. It is mainly found in unripe apples, quinces, gooseberries, rowanberries and grapes. It was given its name because it was first isolated from apple juice and described by the German pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) in 1785. Apple juice from special apple varieties is also used to produce cider, and French cider in particular has a long tradition.

The still unripe grapes contain a high proportion of up to 20 g/l, while the wine contains between 0.5 and 6 g/l. Parallel to the storage of sugar during berry ripening, the must acids decrease. Malic acid is converted into sugar at a temperature between 20 and 30 °C, while tartaric acid is only broken down at higher temperatures. This is why the remaining proportion of tartaric acid is always higher in...

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Malic acid

Malic acid

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