Jan 19: Amorim, the leading producer of cork products in the world, announced today the launch of Naturity and Xpür most efficient technologies designed to remove detectable TCA from natural corks and to create a new segment of micro- agglomerated stoppers respectively, according to a Press Release
António Amorim, Chairman and CEO of Amorim, says, “these technologies are a result of heavy financial investments, t ime, and dedication of o u r research team. Despite the obstacles because of Covid last year we were able to fulfill the promise made to our customers to have non-detectable TCA performance for all the cork stopper segments by the end of the year. This is our commitment to the 30,000 customers around the world- w e guarantee the quality and consistency of their products and ensure that preference for cork will only grow stronger with the customers.”
Amorim had announced 18 months ago that by the end of 2021, these new technologies will be used in the processing of corks. As mentioned in delWine, the process is to be launched in March, 2021.
Naturity Launch
“Research for the Naturity technology began in 2016. It is based on the principles of thermal desorption through an exclusive, non-sequential use of pressure, temperature, purified water and time. No artificial elements are used in the process, which facilitates the extraction of I o v o v 1 50 volatile compounds, including TCA. With this worldwide launch, Naturity expands non-detectable TCA performance in the natural cork product segment, while further strengthening the operational deliverables of NDTech, the advanced screening service that individually analyzes and removes any natural cork with more than 0.5 nanograms per liter(ng/L) of TCA” says the Press Release. Incidentally, this is the level above which the human palate can notice it in wine or any other liquid.
Extensive bottling trials with various wineries have yielded positive results in measuring the impact of the treatment on cork performance, with additional third-party validation trials to be conducted as soon as possible.
Xpür technology for micro-agglomerated stoppers
Another development announced today is Amorim‘s Xpür technology developed to expand the non-detectable TCA performance for micro-agglomerated stoppers. These are stoppers produced by putting micro granules together with additives for agglomeration; the technical cork is produced by individual moulding technology, keeping the popular appeal and traditional natural cork combined with the performance of a technical cork with high range. They are suitable for wine with some complexity to an estimated consumption up to 2 years after bottling. They are also used in sparkling wines of high pressure. Xpür improves upon the conventional supercritical CO2 application developed several decades ago, reengineering and upgrading the concept with 21st century technology. This process uses only 25% of the energy and only 10% of the CO2 previously required.
Xpür achieves results of TCA reduction levels to 0.3 ng/L in treated micro-agglomerated stoppers, while leaving the physical-mechanical properties of cork intact. As a result, Amorim‘s range of micro- agglomerated corks features the highest possible percentage of cork and do not require additional chemical solutions to maintain cork‘s natural properties.
Xpür will be employed in the treatment of technical stoppers Neutrocork Premium and QORK — the latter employing an innovative binding agent made using 100% polyols from vegetable origin/ This is expected to reduce the amount of single-use plastic stoppers in the world by several million units..
About Amorim
Amorim is the largest cork processing group in the world with annual sales of € 780 million. Founded in1870, the company currently has business ventures across five continents. It exports to over 100 countries and has a diversified network of 30,000 customers. With strong sustainability credentials and a negative carbon footprint, Amorim provides solutions, materials and applications to some many technological, disruptive and demanding activities- such as the aerospace, automobile, wine and spirits, construction, sports, energy and interior and product design.
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