How are dry ice, carbonic snow, and wine related? After the harvest, particularly during some of the processing steps in the winery, it is critical to protect the grapes. In fact, in transportation from the vineyard to the winery, in grape receiving hoppers, in crushing and pressing, it is useful to create oxygen-free or very low atmospheres.
Not only that, some solutions also allow, at the same time, for modest refrigeration, further promoting the preservation of grape qualities.
This is achieved by employing solid CO2, in the form of dry ice or carbonic snow. Ma quando è opportuno che le aziende organizzino l’approvvigionamento del ghiaccio secco? When is it good to evaluate the use of carbonic snow?
The best time for these evaluations is a few months before the harvest to have the necessary time, in the case of adopting carbonic snow, to design and install the system with a non-invasive intervention that can provide the winery with advantages especially at the operational level.
The choice between carbonic snow and dry ice will depend first of all on the quantities of grapes processed and, consequently, on the required consumption.
An on-farm inspection by trained technicians will help identify the most suitable solution.
What is carbonic snow and what is dry ice: what are the differences?
Dry ice and carbonic snow are often used synonymously: in reality, there are differences between the two concepts that, although it is negligible in most cases, this results in an organizationally decisive choice when this product is used in the winery in the production stages of the wine.
Let’s see what this is all about.
In both cases it is carbon dioxide in a solid state, obtained through the process of compressing and cooling liquid carbon dioxide.
This is essentially the same product, but with different designations depending on what stage of the production process it is in: when solid CO2 is formed as a result of the expansion of its liquid phase it is called carbonic snow.
In the next stage, when through compression of the snow pellets, blocks, tiles and other shapes are created, it is called dry ice.
Between the two, then, which is the better solution in the area of wine production?
Carbonic snow and dry ice compared in wine production
Both are good solutions for creating protective atmospheres in winery operations; we have discussed them in detail in this article.
Carbon snow and dry ice, however, have different characteristics, especially in operational terms:
- Carbonic snow: solid-state CO2 formed from the expansion of liquid-state gas contained mainly in cryogenic reservoirs. It can be produced directly at the winery using special snowmakers, ensuring immediate availability (up to 400 kilograms per hour) as needed. Production can be manual or automated. In the latter case, snow can be dispensed directly at the points of use (e.g., grape receiving hoppers, grape/pressure transfer pump hoppers).
- Dry ice: CO2 in a solid state, in the form of pellets or granules with a diameter of 3 or 16 millimeters, obtained by compressing carbonic snow. It is not produced on site, as in the case of carbonic snow, but supplied to the winery in special insulated containers. It can be used by distributing it only manually. Because of its temperature (-78 °C), dry ice tends to absorb heat from the environment and sublimate, decreasing in weight so the effectiveness of shelf life, after receipt in the cellar depends on its shape, the type of container and the environment in which it is kept.
When applied directly to grapes, carbonic snow is preferred over dry ice. This is because the former is easily distributed over the mass minimizing, compared with pellets, the risk of cold burns.
Carbon snow, the installation
The advantages of carbon snow are undisputed: having it available at all times when needed and the ability to operate in automation.
Installing a snowmaking system is a simple and nonimpactful intervention. Providing for the use of a small tank, one or more snowmakers with associated piping.
Since an added value of carbonic snow lies in the possibility of making the process automated, an inspection by engineers is necessary to verify the operating mode of the plants where it will be applied and to identify what needs to be done.
A further and fundamental advantage of using carbonic snow with automated modes is the replicability of results,an aspect consequent to the elimination of manual skill and with this the possibility of human error.
Dry ice, the supply
Solid CO2, in the form of dry ice, must be supplied during the harvest, at the time of use, avoiding as much as possible cellar dwell time with the resulting weight losses.
Its eventual storage must be done in suitable environments suitable for ensuring the safety of operators.
Carbon snow and dry ice SIAD
Along the entire wine supply chain, multiple operations are made more efficient through the use of food gases, carbon dioxide above all.
Our Group is committed to offering industry players suitable products and services to ensure that their needs are fully met in order to achieve more streamlined processes and a qualitatively excellent result.
To learn more about SIAD’s offers for wineries, contact foodandbeverage@siad.eu.
