Is it better than what I have already got? What is involved in making the move? And, the big question, is it worth it? Our five-minute read gives an overview of key considerations for existing WineScan™ users thinking about moving up to the WineScan 3.
At first glance, the WineScan 3 looks similar to earlier models, but don’t be deceived. There are a lot of interesting things, both inside and outside of the box, that will have a dramatic effect on your analysis operations.
WineScan™ 3 versus earlier WineScan models
Taking a busy wine testing schedule of around 40,000 tests per year including measurements of SO2, a conservative estimate indicates a saving of over 50% on service and over 30% on reagents. What’s more, by reducing the maintenance and operational burden, the number of tests you can get out of the equipment on a daily basis is greatly improved. Taking the 40,000 tests per year example, the number of samples per day can be doubled from around 100 to 200 per day. While enjoying these gains, users of the WineScan 3 will also step into a new universe of analytical opportunity, where a continuously expanding range of test options provides the perfect platform for both efficiency and creativity in your winemaking.
Huge reduction in operational costs
A big part of the reduction in service costs comes through a new module for testing sulphur dioxide with a much-reduced requirement for maintenance. Another, an innovation known as automatic instrument standardization eliminates instrument drift and ensures stable results over time. In contrast to earlier generation solutions, there is no need to perform time-consuming instrument-standardization checks with associated use of chemical reagents and significantly reducing the need for costly reference analysis.
Gateway to an expanding analytical universe
The range of tests available with the WineScan 3 is also broader compared to earlier solutions. It includes unique new test options such as tannins in wine. Additionally, it is now possible to measure yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) during fermentation, which, together with the new extended range of the parameters glucose and fructose, provides valuable insights on how the fermentation is progressing. If you are working with sparkling wine, the new ability to test sucrose alongside other parameters for the latest labelling requirements might also be of interest.
Higher throughput with less work and high consistency
The reduced maintenance and standardization burden help to improve the daily flow of tests by avoiding interruptions to operations. The same applies to the much-reduced need for clean sequences (now only one per day instead of several). Another new feature is the high repeatability of results enabled by no-less than 40 subsample measurements for every test. This ensures highly representative results that effectively avoid the need for duplicate tests. Add the new autosampler with a capacity of up to 133 tests per hour and the faster SO2 functionality (now two minutes instead of two and a half), and the new solution makes a compelling case for a whole new level of throughput.
The WineScan 3 also helps to ensure consistency of results with functionality that minimizes manual steps for operators. For instance, the new option to test sparkling wine directly without degassing ensures that the preparation is always the same. This is a neat development when it is often a challenge to secure and retain skilled labour in the winery or in the laboratory.
What’s involved in making the move?
Even when the new opportunities and savings look attractive, a big question remains about whether to ‘rock the boat’ for the new solution, especially when you have already invested time and money on fine-tuning tests to your local conditions.
The simplicity of today’s technology is a big consideration when answering this question. Firstly, analytical solutions today are so fast and easy-to-use that it means much less work when training staff. Secondly, the installation and running of the instrument is simpler and faster. For instance, the data modelling behind tests can accommodate variations in temperature and humidity which was previously only done by the hardware. More than 250.000 referenced samples from all over the world are included in the models and these are validated on the whole WineScan database dating back to 1999. This ensures that the global models incorporate any possible sample variation in the spectra and are therefore ready to use with only a slope adjustment if there is a wish to align with a local reference. In addition, the latest connectivity and data-handling capabilities makes data management aspects of setting up the new platform secure and straightforward.
