A Higher Standard

Quality assurance from cork forest to finished product is at the core of M. A. Silva. In conjunction with the owners of our contracted forests we monitor the health and quality of the trees, testing samples even before the bark is harvested. Our proprietary cleaning processes have reduced average TCA levels to below the threshold of human sensory capabilities. And our quality control team alone determines which corks make it into our inventory and which are rejected. Their efforts are supported by exacting protocols and state-of-the-art technology.

Cork: our cleaning processes

Over the last 40 years M. A. Silva has established itself as an industry technology leader, developing the most comprehensive cork processing systems in the industry. Producing the finest natural and technical cork products from raw corkwood requires custom processes for each phase of the production cycle. M. A. Silva never uses chlorine in our cleaning process, and our finished corks are free of any residual chemicals.

Dynavox® – All raw cork is subjected to intense steam and pressure in our Dynavox® system, to purge unwanted compounds from deep inside the cork matrix. This effectively kills naturally occurring microorganisms. It removes and reduces phenols such as TCA and other compounds responsible for off aromas, reduces tannins, and improves the appearance and elasticity of the cork.

Maszone® – Our Maszone system uses not only ozone but the more powerful Peroxone, a combination of ozone and hydrogen peroxide, to disinfect and clean finished corks. The solution eliminates microorganisms, and oxidizes organic impurities and compounds such as phenols and anisoles which could be precursors to off-flavor producing compounds. Maszone® also enhances the visual appearance of the cork.

SARA® – The SARA® process employs controlled steam and pressure to drive TCA and other phenols out of granulated cork, which we use to make our Silktop and Sparkling Wine technical corks and Pearl agglomerated wine corks.

Testing

As a member of the Cork Quality Council, we adhere to strict standards – but we don’t stop there. Our flexibility allows us to do more thorough testing to meet specific customers requirements when requested. Samples are tested for TCA, aroma characteristics and grade prior to shipment to you.

Third party verification of our processes and quality drives predictable and repeatable performance. Our organization meets or exceeds the quality levels set by the leading European cork standards bodies, APCOR, C.E. Liege, and Systecode. We produce and deliver the finest natural wine cork available, helping you produce your best wine, case after case.

Please contact us to discuss the certified cork testing techniques we use.

Partial List of Required Tests:

Chemical:

Residual peroxides
2,4,6 trichloroanisole by SPME GC/MS
Sensory evaluation
Absence of chlorine
Atmospheric trapping for haloanisoles
Absence of microbiological growth

Mechanical:

Dimensions (length, diameter, ovality)
Density
Moisture
Capillarity
Dust quantification
Extraction force
Bottles: Bottleneck profiles
Machinery: Gas dosage measurements
Facility: Humidity room temp/RH tracking

Cosmetic:

Visual quality (adherence to CQC and APCOR standards including porosity, general appearance, absence of defects such as wormholes, punching channels, greenwood, yellow stain, slants, dry years)

Certified Quality Program

We strive to deliver products of unmatched quality and to provide customer service, shipment accuracy and follow-through that is consistently outstanding. To ensure we meet this higher standard, we created our Certified Qualified Program (CQP). This comprehensive set of business practices defines our method and provides a basis for independent evaluation and measurement.

The Tenets of Certified Quality

Measure quality against industry accepted standards as defined by independent standards bodies.
Validate testing methods and results through independent third parties.
Define and evolve accepted industry-wide quality standards and testing through collaboration with independent certification bodies.
Integrate quality processes and measurements into all aspects of our business including customer service.
Measure must have specific and measurable goals.
Continuously make improvements for 100% environmental sustainability and zero waste.