Development of a Method to Measure Hydrogen Sulfide in Wine Fermentation

A hydrogen sulfide $(H_2S)$ detecting tube was developed for the quantitative determination of $H_2S$ produced by yeast during laboratory scale wine fermentations. The detecting tube consisted of a small transparent plastic tube packed with an $H_2S$-sensitive color-indicating medium. The packed medium changed color, with the color change progressing upward from the bottom of the tube, upon exposure to $H_2S$ produced by yeast during fermentation. A calibration study using a standard $H_2S$ gas showed that the length of the portion that darkened was directly related to the quantity of $H_2S$ (${\mu}g$) with a high correlation coefficient ($r^2$=0.9997). The reproducibility of the $H_2S$ detecting tubes was determined with five repetitive measurements using a standard $H_2S$ solution [5.6${\mu}g$/200 ml (28 ppb)], which resulted in a coefficient of variation of 3.6% at this level of $H_2S$. With the sulfide detecting tubes, the production of $H_2S$ was continuously monitored and quantified from laboratory scale wine fermentations with different yeast strains and with the addition of different levels of elemental sulfur to the grape juice. This sulfide detecting tube technology may allow winemakers to quantitatively measure $H_2S$ produced under different fermentation conditions, which will eventually lead winemakers to better understand the specific factors and conditions for the excessive production of $H_2S$ during wine fermentation in a large production scale.