Influence of vacuum filtration on the fatty acids content and its evolution during vinification of garnacha must

Unsaturated fatty acids and sterols are necessary substances for yeast development and can be eliminated by clarification of must. In this work the influence of vacuum filtration clarification on Garnacha must with respect to fatty acids concentration and its evolution during fermentation was studied. Vacuum filtration of the must, eliminated unsaturated (95%) and saturated (91%) fatty acids. Elimination was complete in the case of linolenic, arachidic and behenic acids. During the first half of fermentation the fatty acids were consumed in the control must (48%) whereas they were excreted in the filtered must. During the second half of fermentation and during aging in bottle, their concentrations decreased in both samples.