Comparative study of methods for determination of titrable acidity in wine

A comparative study of three methods for titrable acidity determination in must and wines was carried out. Titrable acidity (TA) was analysed in 115 wines from the Canary Islands by conductance titration, AOAC and OIV procedures. Conductivity, pH, malic acid, tartaric acid and potassium content were also determined. The results of TA obtained depended on the method used, however, a highly significant correlation between these methods was found. Conductance titration showed that the true end point is in pH values higher than those of the AOAC and OIV procedures. In order to compare the results of TA obtained in different countries by AOAC and OIV procedures, the use of some expressions, one for red wine and one for white wine, is proposed. An important differentiation between red and white wine mean discrimination analysis using pH values, malic acid and potassium content could be observed.