Determination of the Tartaric Acid Content of Wine

R.J.C. Gagahina, J.A.A. Luna, J.G. Vasquez, Z.L.L. Victoria

Group 3
College of Science, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
Received: December 14, 2015

Abstract
Tartaric Acid is unique in that it is not found in most fruit, but is the primary acid
component in grapes. It is one of the strongest acids in wine and controls the acidity of a wine. In
line to this the study aims to determine the % Tartaric acid (C 4H4O6) in wine sample and to
prepare standard NaOH solution. An acid-base titration was proposed to determine the Tartaric
Acid (C4H4O6) in wine sample. Before going into titration, the standardized NaOH solution is
prepared to be used as titrant in titration. In the standardization of NaOH solution the molarity of
NaOH achieved is 0.13M. From the strong acid-strong base titration the calculated mean
%Tartaric acid in wine sample is 0.51%. Therefore the wine sample has an approximately 0.51%
Tartaric acid and the standardized solution is 0.13M.
INTRODUCTION
Tartaric acid is the most significant
part of the acid fraction of grapes and wines.
Being one of the strongest organic acids
present in grapes, it plays a great role in
wine acidity, thus affecting color, taste,
chemical and microbiological stability of the
final product (Amerine & Ough, 1980).
Nevertheless, the major physical instability
in bottled wines is due to the precipitation of
the tartaric salts, essentially as potassium
bitartrate, and in lower concentrations, as
calcium tartarate (Boulton, et al., 1996).
Titration is a technique of knowing
the concentration of an unknown solution by
letting standard solution reacts with it until
an end point reach. This unknown solution is
called titrand or analyte and the standard
solution
is
an
accurately
known
concentration solution that is being used to
react with the analyte, to determine the

concentration of the analyte to the unknown

solution and it is also called Titrant. The
reaction between titrand and titrant is
determined by adding an indicator to the
unknown solution that will change the color
of the unknown solution base on its
acidity/basicity.
Standard Sodium hydroxide solution
was used and using a primary standard,
Potassium
hydrogen
phthalate.
The
concentration of Sodium hydroxide solution
was accurately known, and used as titrant
because of being strong base that easily
react with acid.(Shroff, 2014)

METHODOLOGY
For the preparation of sodium
hydroxide solution, more than 500ml of
distilled water was transferred to a 500ml
beaker. It was put into a hot plate until the
water boiled to remove the carbon dioxide
that was in contact with the water that can
affect the standardization process. While
letting it cool, 3 grams of sodium hydroxide
pellets is weighed and dissolve it in the
distilled water previously boiled then place
it in a 1 liter plastic bottle. It was stored for
the next lab period.
For
the
standardization
1
process of sodium
0.1210
Weight of KHP (g)
hydroxide, 0.1210
0.0001
g of potassium
Initial
5.10.1
hydrogen phthalate Vol. of
was weighed in an NaOH
Final
9.30.1
Erlenmeyer flask (mL)
Actual
4.20.1
for the first trial
0.140
and was added Molarity (M)
0.003
with 30ml distilled
Mean Molarity
water to dissolve
the crystals and added 5 drops of
phenolphthalein. It was titrated with the
sodium hydroxide solution. The initial
volume in the burette was subtracted with
the final reading when the solution turned
light pink. The same thing was done for the
second and third trial
For the analysis of wine sample
specifically Adega de Pegoes, 10ml of the
wine was transferred to a 250ml beaker and
was added with 20ml distilled water. It was
added with 5 drops of phenolphthalein and
titrated with sodium hydroxide solution until
the solution turned light pink. The initial
reading from the burette was recorded and
its difference with the final volume when the
solution reached the light pink endpoint will
determine the percentage of tartaric acid

present in the wine sample. And this was

done for three trials.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Conventionally, the initial volume of
the titrant in the burette was recorded and
the titration proceeded with the diluted
NaOH (titrant) to the pale pink endpoint.
Lastly, the
final
TRIAL
volume of the titrant
2
3
was
taken
into
0.1018 0.11800.0
account.
For
trials
1
0.0001
001
to
3,
the
net
volumes
13.9
9.50.1
of the titrant NaOH
0.1
are 4.2 ml, 4.4 ml,
13.9
18.4
0.1
0.1
and
4.5ml
4.40.1
4.50.1
respectively.
Table
0.110
0.130
1.0 summarizes all
0.003
0.003
the pertinent data in
0.1300.003
the standardization of
sodium hydroxide solution.
Table 1.0 Standardization of NaOH solution

In the analysis of wine sample three

10ml sample is titrated with standardized
sodium hydroxide together with 20ml
distilled water. Conventionally, the initial
volume of the titrant in the burette was
recorded and the titration proceeded with the
NaOH (titrant) to the pale pink endpoint.
Lastly, the final volume of the titrant was
taken into account. For trials 1 to 3, the net
volumes of the titrant NaOH are 5.1 ml, 5.3
ml, and 5.2 ml respectively. Table 2
summarizes all the pertinent data in the
sample analysis.

Table 2.0 Analysis of Wine Sample

Brand: Adega de
Peges
Volume of sample
(mL)
Vol. of
NaOH
(mL)

TRIAL
2

10.000.01

10.00001

10.000.01

Initial

14.10.1

19.20.1

0.20.1

Final
Actual

19.20.1
5.10.1

24.50.1
5.30.1

5.40.1
5.20.1

0.500.02%

0.520.02%

0.510.02%

%tTartaric acid(ta)
Mean
%tauncertainty

0.510.02%

REFERENCES
Amerine, M.A., Ough, C.S., Acidity and
Individual Acids, Wiley, New York,
1980, pp. 5862.

To sum up the experiment the mean

molarity of the standardized NaOH is 0.13M
and the mean %ta in wine sample is 0.51%.
Possible sources of error in the experiment
include
the
faulty
titration
and
standardization
of
solutions,
faulty
measurements of samples that can lead to
over titration and wrong computations.

Boulton, R.B., Singleton, V.L., Bisson, L.F.,

Kunkee, R.E., The Physical and Chemical
Stability of Wine, Chapman & Hall, New
York, 1996, pp. 320331.

CONCLUSION
The concentration of the standardized NaOH
is 0.13M while the Tartaric Acid content in
the wine sample (Adega de Peges) is
0.51%. For the standardization of NaOH,
after 3 trials of titration the group obtained
0.14M, 0.11M, and 0.13M respectively
which the mean molarity is 0.13M. The
%TA of the wine sample after 3 trials is
0.50%, 0.52%, and 0.51% respectively. The
Mean %TA is 0.51 0.02.

Skoog, D.A., West D.J., Holler, F.J. and

Crouch, S.R., Fundamentals of
Analytical
Chemistry,
8th
ed.
California: Brooks/Cole Thomson
Learning, 2004.

Shroff, S. (2014). Titration - principle,

working and application.Retrieved
December
12,
2015.
From
http://www.slideshare.net/SaloniShroff
/titration-principle-working-andapplication