Study of the composition of organic acids in wines of the Stavropol region

Abstract. Organic acids play an important role in the formation of the organoleptic qualities of wine and determine one of the most important indicators of the taste of the finished product – acidity. A certain ratio of the main organic acids gives the optimal combination of the fullness of taste and the feeling of acidity of wines. At the same time, acidity is not only an important taste indicator of wine, but also a distinctive chemical feature of the beverage. The concentration of individual acids and their ratio can be used to judge the authenticity of grape wines. For the first time, an analysis was carried out of the qualitative and quantitative composition of organic acids in wine materials and wines produced from grapes grown in various viticulture and winemaking regions of the Stavropol region, differing not only in edaphoclimatic conditions, but also in grape processing technology. 42 samples of white, pink and red wine materials and wines of the 2021-2023 harvest were analyzed. The mass concentration of organic acids was determined by capillary electrophoresis on a Kapel-105 M device. The experimental data have been systematized; minimum and maximum values of the studied parameters have been determined for each zone. The obtained results indicate a significant difference in the concentration of organic acids both within one zone and in different zones in general. The highest concentrations of tartaric acid were found in the Central and Kalauskaya viticulture zones; malic acid – Pyatigorskaya and Central; succinic acid – Kumskaya and Kalauskaya; citric acid – Tersko-Kumskie peski and Kumskaya. The results of the work will be used to create a database for the purpose of accumulation, operational search, storage and analysis of information for the development of an identification system, quality control and establishment of authenticity of wine products with regional affiliation. Keywords: zone, grapes, wine, authenticity, organic acids