Ken Schramm mentions (but does not explain why) he takes a small sample
of must for pH sampling then ditches it. He says this is preferable to
dipping your pH meter into the must in the primary fermenter.

Can anyone tell me why?

Thanks all,

Sean

I suspect that this is to reduce the possibility of contamination of
your must. The pH meter tip may still be wet with storage solution, or,
if you've rinsed it with tap water, it may be harboring microbes.

It's just better not to stick anything into your must.

Greg

snpm wrote:
> Ken Schramm mentions (but does not explain why) he takes a small sample
> of must for pH sampling then ditches it. He says this is preferable to
> dipping your pH meter into the must in the primary fermenter.
>
> Can anyone tell me why?
>
> Thanks all,
>
> Sean

I also take a sample of the must but I'm usually doing both a pH
reading and an acid titration. I usually dilute a 1 mL sample in about
1 oz. of hot (microwaved) distilled water to drive off CO2 gas. When
cooled I put the pH meter in to get a reading then proceed with the
titration to an end point of 8.2. Distilled water has virtually no
buffereing capacity - the dilution does not change the pH reading.

RD

.........erm, I find the logic hard to swallow if its just that, dont
you? Why wouldnt you simply sanitise the instrument? You have to stick
SOMETHING in the must to get the sample, right?


wrote:
> I suspect that this is to reduce the possibility of contamination of
> your must. The pH meter tip may still be wet with storage solution, or,
> if you've rinsed it with tap water, it may be harboring microbes.
>
> It's just better not to stick anything into your must.
>
> Greg
>
> snpm wrote:
> > Ken Schramm mentions (but does not explain why) he takes a small sample
> > of must for pH sampling then ditches it. He says this is preferable to
> > dipping your pH meter into the must in the primary fermenter.
> >
> > Can anyone tell me why?
> >
> > Thanks all,
> >
> > Sean

snpm wrote:
> ........erm, I find the logic hard to swallow if its just that, dont
> you? Why wouldnt you simply sanitise the instrument? You have to stick
> SOMETHING in the must to get the sample, right?

I normally use straws from fast food restaraunts as wine thiefs. They
are extruded at high temperature and almost immediately enclosed in a
paper or plastic wrapper. As such, they are unlikey to be a source of
contamination. I draw out a few teaspoons into a wine glass and place
the pH meter in the sample.

You could, I suppose, sanitize the probe tip in a sulfite solution, but
it is a sensitive instrument. I would rather just expose the probe to
storage and calibration solutions, and to the must.

There's nothing to be gained by placing the probe directly into the
must, and since there are some possible risks, why bother?

Greg G.

yeah makes sense. Thanks Greg ..!



wrote:
> snpm wrote:
> > ........erm, I find the logic hard to swallow if its just that, dont
> > you? Why wouldnt you simply sanitise the instrument? You have to stick
> > SOMETHING in the must to get the sample, right?
>
> I normally use straws from fast food restaraunts as wine thiefs. They
> are extruded at high temperature and almost immediately enclosed in a
> paper or plastic wrapper. As such, they are unlikey to be a source of
> contamination. I draw out a few teaspoons into a wine glass and place
> the pH meter in the sample.
>
> You could, I suppose, sanitize the probe tip in a sulfite solution, but
> it is a sensitive instrument. I would rather just expose the probe to
> storage and calibration solutions, and to the must.
>
> There's nothing to be gained by placing the probe directly into the
> must, and since there are some possible risks, why bother?
>
> Greg G.

not to mention the crusher/press cross-contamination lolol

The reason for not putting the pH probe in your must is to not risk
getting pH electrode chemicals in the must, if you should happen to have
an oops. And to not get glass fragments into the must from that oops.
This is just common sense good practice.

Gene

P.S. Older pH electrodes often contain calomel (mercurous chloride),
which is something we don't want to ingest. Most pH electrodes made
today use AgCl (silver chloride) electrode instead of calomel.

P.P.S. Last I checked, no microbes that will harm us can live in wine;
just the ones that fart bad tastes and the ones that add complexity and
good flavors.

snpm wrote:
> ........erm, I find the logic hard to swallow if its just that, dont
> you? Why wouldnt you simply sanitise the instrument? You have to stick
> SOMETHING in the must to get the sample, right?
>
>
> wrote:
>
>>I suspect that this is to reduce the possibility of contamination of
>>your must. The pH meter tip may still be wet with storage solution, or,
>>if you've rinsed it with tap water, it may be harboring microbes.
>>
>>It's just better not to stick anything into your must.
>>
>>Greg
>>
>>snpm wrote:
>>
>>>Ken Schramm mentions (but does not explain why) he takes a small sample
>>>of must for pH sampling then ditches it. He says this is preferable to
>>>dipping your pH meter into the must in the primary fermenter.
>>>
>>>Can anyone tell me why?
>>>
>>>Thanks all,
>>>
>>>Sean
>
>

gene wrote:
> ...
> P.P.S. Last I checked, no microbes that will harm us can live in wine;
> just the ones that fart bad tastes and the ones that add complexity and
> good flavors.

Don't forget acetobacters. They could produce an unpleasant surprise.

Greg

wrote:

> gene wrote:
>
>>...
>>P.P.S. Last I checked, no microbes that will harm us can live in wine;
>>just the ones that fart bad tastes and the ones that add complexity and
>>good flavors.
>
>
> Don't forget acetobacters. They could produce an unpleasant surprise.
>
> Greg
>

Thanks for calling them to the fore. Those acetobacters go overboard.
Yep... I include those in the 'fart bad tastes' in the context of wine.

Many here may not know it, but even our beloved wine yeasts generate
small amounts of acetic acid as a fermentation by-product.
Interesting, too, that at low concentration, some of the bad tastes can
add interest to wine. That includes acetic acid, as long as it's not
much above the threshhold of taste.

Gene