Studies on the application of high-power ultrasonics for barrel and plank cleaning and disinfection

摘要

Oak barrels have been used in winemaking for hundreds of years. The exact era when they were first employed for maturing, aging or storing wine is difficult to establish, but it is known that barrel makers or coopers have existed for nearly 2000 years (John, 1991). Barrels range in size from 90-10,000L; the most common sizes, 225-300L, are used for fermenting and maturing wines. In the production of red table wines and some styles of white table wines, partial or complete fermentation is carried out in barrels. However, the main application of barrels throughout the world is for red wine maturation. Wines are kept in barrels for 8-24 months, in some cases longer. In Australia, there has been a massive growth in oak barrel usage in the last 30 years. It is estimated that there are currently more than seven million barrels in wineries throughout the world.