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Central Washington University

Efficacy of Ultraviolet Radiation to Control Lactic Acid Bacteria in Wine Must

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The use of shortwave ultraviolet (UV<sub>c</sub>) radiation to control lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in wine production was studied. A simulated wine sterilizer was built using a commercially sourced ultraviolet (UV) sterilizer commonly used in aquariums and ponds. After growing cultures in test tubes, samples of five different species of LAB were introduced into white grape juice adjusted for brix and pH to match that of wine must commonly found in the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area. The mixture was then agitated and allowed time to evenly distribute the bacteria throughout the juice. The juice was sent through the sterilizer in a single pass using an aquarium pump. LAB were quantified pre- and post-treatment using a dilution series on MRS agar. The UV<sub>c</sub> treatment resulted in a significant reduction of LAB by an average of 52.7% with a 95% confidence interval for three replicates of three trials<sub>.</sub> These data are compared to industry standards and applications of UV<sub>c</sub> sterilization in the wine industry with suggested areas for further study are discussed.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science (MS)
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biology
Year dc:date.available
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Williams, Brian D.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Holly Pinkart
  • Jennifer Dechaine
  • Jim Johnson

Subjects

dc:subject × 10

Rights

Language dc:language
English

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/279
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-1292

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Central Washington University
Base URL
digitalcommons.cwu.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Williams, Brian D.. Efficacy of Ultraviolet Radiation to Control Lactic Acid Bacteria in Wine Must. 2015. https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/279