Technology

There are multiple steps in the cork production process to ensure a nearly perfect cork. Using our proprietary and award-winning technology methods, each sequential step ensures that corks arrive clean and ready for bottling.

Experience The Expertise

Pressurized Boiling

DYNAVOX

Immediately after harvest, corkwood is stabilized and placed inside the closed-chamber Dynavox® boiling system to extract TCA, anisoles, and phenols.

The Dynavox system utilizes a closed chamber to boil cork planks under high pressure. The pressure allows the cleaning solution temperature to maximize its effectiveness, while maintaining the stability of the corkwood. After the cleaning solution circulates through the corkwood slabs, it passes within a degasification tower where pressure differentials evacuate TCA and other volatile compounds.

Benefits:

Increased TCA extraction- Dynavox boiling is done under pressure at 105C to thoroughly penetrate the cork structure, volatize TCA, other anisoles and phenols.

TCA is constantly removed during boiling- The vapor containing TCA is removed by degasification through the one hour boiling cycle.

Shorter safer post boiling stabilization- Following the boiling process, cork planks are removed with an approximate 17% moisture content. This is a significant reduction in residual moisture.

Water filtration and continuous monitoring- The water is filtered through a 100 micron filtration system. The Dynavox system continuously measures the pH of the water to monitor residual tannin levels.

Cleaning System

SARA ADVANCED

The SARA Process is M. A. Silva’s latest development for the removal of TCA and other polyphenols in granulated cork.

The automated process ensures that the granules receive prolonged direct contact with pressured steam volatilizing the target compounds. Materials processed with the SARA cleaning system are as clean as our natural cork; allowing M. A. Silva exceptional neutrality across our entire line of products.

Benefits:

Complete extraction- Granules experienced prolonged direct contact with pressured steam volatizing the target compounds.

Continuous processing system- corks move from steaming directly to drying, eliminating the risk of microbial contamination.

Automated processing- continuous feed of granules through the SARA allows for high volume production.

Washing

MASZONE

M. A. Silva leveraged the latest technology in its development of the proprietary Maszone system; a cleansing stage for finished corks. The Maszone system uses ozone and hydrogen peroxide as primary treating agents to further reduce organic impurities and compounds off flavors.

Benefits:

Eliminates micro-organisms and their spores 3000 times faster than chlorine.

Faster processing- since ozone acts so quickly, finished corks absorb less solution which translates to shorter drying periods.

Inhibits TCA development- finished cork is sterile and free of microorganisms.

Enhances cork appearance- creates a cleaner and more uniform cork surface, allowing finer quality cork printing.

Corks are washed in three different options:

  • MSN140 gives the cork a natural color appearance
  • MSN40 gives the cork a light brown color
  • MSN240 leaves the corks with a white appearance

Cork Testing

OnebyOne®

Individual Cork Testing for Ultra-Premium Quality Wines

For Ultra-premium wine packaging, M. A. Silva’s proprietary OnebyOne® technology, inspects each natural cork individually to detect traces of TCA*. The powerful technology behind OnebyOne® was developed in collaboration with top European universities over a period of three years of R&D. The result is a fully automated process, utilizing the principles of gas phase spectroscopy. 

Highly Optimized TCA Removal:

Our newest innovative cleansing process uses the elastic memory of cork by expansion through dry
steam. This technology penetrates deep into the pores while maintaining the natural performance properties of the cork cellular structure. The result is maximized neutrality and TCA reduction in both natural corks and cork discs.

Key Features:

  • Fully automated process to detect TCA*
  • Non-destructive analysis
  • Individual cork testing
  • Objective technical analysis
  • Bottle Buy Back Guarantee

NEOTECH® Micro-agglomerate Cork

NEOTECH

A Technical Cork with Non-Detectable TCA Levels*

M. A. Silva’s new technology is designed to sterilize cork granules and remove TCA to non-detectable levels*. NEO® cork closures offer increased neutrality while supporting our ongoing commitment to sustainability, thus providing the highest quality technical cork solution.

Highly Optimized TCA Removal:

Our proprietary process uses fluidized bed technology to maximize surface area exposure of the granules through a gaseous suspension to produce a gas-solid reaction. The result is the removal of TCA and other phenolic compounds that lead to off aromas. The consistency and natural physical-mechanical properties of cork are preserved.

Key Features:

  • Uniformly sized granules
  • Individually unit molded for uniform distribution of the granules
  • Optimum consistency in structure and neutrality
  • Maintenance of all natural cork attributes
  • FDA-approved food grade bonding agents

CLEANSING PROCESSES: DYNAVOX®, NEO®, MASZONE®

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