Innovation
DNA: INNOVATION + SUSTAINABILITY
“Innovation, which has always been a key value for our company, now takes on a new face, putting it at the service of sustainability.”
Innovation
DNA: INNOVATION + SUSTAINABILITY
“Innovation, which has always been a key value for our company, now takes on a new face, putting it at the service of sustainability.”
R&D&I MANIFESTO
2.
Before acquiring technology, we carry out research studies to obtain objective criteria and invest only in the one that best suits our requirements.
3.
We have developed our own rigorous criteria that guide us in our way of working and we are not guided by market trends.
4.
We have developed our own protocols, stricter and more demanding than those required by ISO, Systecode or other regulations.
5.
We have a laboratory team made up of two chemistry graduates, laboratory technicians, production staff and interns.
6.
30% of our team is trained to be able to detect low levels of TCA and other sensory deviations through sniffing technology with manual detection.
R&D&I MANIFESTO
2.
Before acquiring technology, we carry out research studies to obtain objective criteria and invest only in the one that best suits our requirements.
3.
We have developed our own rigorous criteria that guide us in our way of working and we are not guided by market trends.
4.
We have developed our own protocols, stricter and more demanding than those required by ISO, Systecode or other regulations.
5.
We have a laboratory team made up of two chemistry graduates, laboratory technicians, production staff and interns.
6.
30% of our team is trained to be able to detect low levels of TCA and other sensory deviations through sniffing technology with manual detection.
Microscopic image of a J·Vigas cork stopper.
Acknowledgments: Catalan Cork Institute
We were the first cork industry to bet on its own laboratory in 1985. Furthermore, during Enric Vigas’ stage as president of the Catalan cork association, the Catalan Cork Institute was founded, a research and innovation center based in Palafrugell.
We are convinced that innovation and knowledge are the basis on which to build construir our future, just as previous generations have done.
Our laboratory team is made up of Raquel de Nadal, Director of Sustainability and Innovation, a graduate in chemistry and currently preparing her PhD with research to eradicate TCA, a chemist, a production person and student interns.
Among the laboratory material we have two chromatographs, one of them, SPME Arrow – GC Intuvo – MS/MS, which allows us to have full control of the sensory deviations of the batches, quickly and very efficiently, either to discard before the purchase to minimize them to undetectable levels thanks to our sensory deviation reduction systems.
In addition to the tests in our laboratory, we collaborate with wineries in order to experience our innovations in situ and thus create a closer relationship with our customers and that they can benefit from our constant work to always be at the forefront of research.
We participate in sectoral research projects or together with external laboratories, universities, and research centers, intending to permanently innovate, expanding our knowledge, and incorporating new technologies that provide added value to our clients.
We are part of the AECORK Technical Committee as well as the UNE CTN 056/SC 05 “CORK” Committee that coordinates the state regulation of the cork stopper.
Finally, we would like to highlight our commitment to rigor, quality, and the environment, as shown in our certification policy, which has always been very demanding.
Not just TCA
At J·Vigas we rely on two technologies for the detection and elimination of TCA and other unwanted aromas:
SPME Arrow Chromatography – GC Intuvo – MS/MS and Detection with Manual Sniffing.
No other technology has met our demands and tolerance levels.
Sensory control
Up to six analytical control points
Sensory control
Up to six analytical control points
Our technical team analyzes 1% of the corks from each batch to ensure the highest quality at a sensory level. Last year we carried out a total of 20,000 chromatographic analyses, analyzing a total of 270,000 corks.
innovation, technology and research at the service of nature
1st AREA: Reduction and elimination of sensory deviations
1. VIGAS·18 OPTIMIZATION | 2019-2022
Optimization of the VIGAS·18 sensory deviation reduction system through the use of adsorbents and biosorbents. It was an external project that we developed with the Catalan Cork Institute (ICSuro) and other companies in the sector, co-financed by the European FEDER fund and by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat of Catalonia through the Operation 16:01:01 (cooperation for innovation) of the PDR of Catalonia 2014-2020.
2. TCA MIGRATION STUDY | 2019-2022
In collaboration with one of our clients, we developed a study on the transfer of TCA in different types of wine.
3. ONE-BY-ONE TECHNOLOGY | 2017-2020
We have developed a research project testing different technologies under development or that are already on the market.
After the various tests, our technical team determined that, currently, there is no automatic analysis technology that satisfies the requirements of J·VIGAS in terms of sensory deviation detection, compared to the results obtained with sniffing with manual detection. For this reason, it was the system chosen to integrate into the J·Vigas quality process.
4. ACQUISITION OF SNIFFING MACHINE | 2020
J·VIGAS acquired a sniffing machine with manual detection that consists of a one-by-one review by qualified personnel after a process that enhances unwanted aromas, such as haloanisols, including TCA, and other sensory deviations.
5. ACQUISITION OF NEW AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES SPME ARROW CHROMATOGRAPH – GC INTUVO – MS/MS | 2019-2021
In 2021 J·Vigas acquired a new chromatograph that allows analysis to be carried out with great precision and a speed six times greater than the previous chromatograph. According to our studies carried out between 2019 and 2021, there is no other equipment on the current market that gives such reliable results in 5 minutes of analysis. Our goal is to guarantee not only the absence of haloanisoles in our products but also any sensory deviation.
2nd Area: Oxygen Permeability (OTR)
1. OXYGEN TRANSFER | 2018-2022
In 2018 we started studying the oxugen transfer with an innovative pilot project that was part of the Operational Groups of the European Association for Innovation (AEI) in terms of agricultural productivity and sustainability and integrates four relevant companies in the cork sector. As with the TCA migration study, we developed the project in collaboration with one of our clients.
Project co-financed by the European ERDF fund and by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat of Catalonia through Operation 16:01:01 (cooperation for innovation) of the PDR of Catalonia 2014-2020.
Then we developed two more projects in this area, both in collaboration with ICSuro. On the one hand, a comparative study of the different types of stoppers and their oxygen transfer over time and, on the other hand, a study of the evolution and traceability in different variables with QR / NFC technology.
After five years of study, the following conclusions have been reached:
- The oxygen supply after corking with a correctly bottled cork comes from the cork itself and not from external oxygen ingress.
- The oxygen permeability of the stoppers and the storage conditions of the wine are key parameters to ensure its correct organoleptic state. These parameters influence the evolution of still wine at an analytical and sensory level.
- The bottling process (regularity and control of oxygen ingress) has been reaffirmed as a critical point of paramount importance to obtain the desired evolution of the wine.
- The position of the bottle after corking is essential and the results obtained change depending on whether it is stored vertically or horizontally.
- The recovery time after closure, from one to five minutes, must be respected and bottles must not be moved or stored in a horizontal position until after this time.
- The participating companies have characterized their production processes in terms of their contribution to oxygen permeability.
- The knowledge acquired during the project should allow modulating the production process to increase the homogeneity of the natural cork stoppers.
- Oxoluminescence has been validated as a method for measuring the oxygen permeability of cork stoppers, since the conclusions drawn at the laboratory level can be extrapolated to wine.
- In sparkling wine, it has not been possible to verify that the OTR has a definitive impact on the organoleptic profile of the wine. New evidence will have to be developed in this regard.
3rd Area: Other topics
1. STUDY OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE | 2018-2021
Study of the feasibility of treatment for the reduction and/or elimination of sensory deviations, not only from a sensory point of view but also according to the correct functionality of the stopper by studying the affectation of the internal structure of the cork stopper after the treatment. It is an external project.
2. STUDY OF BOTTLING WITH STOPPERS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES | 2019-2021
It is a project developed with the collaboration of one of our clients. We study the correct technical functionality during bottling and the sensorial evolution of the wine depending on the density of the stopper.
3. SENSORY STUDY AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC PROFILE | 2020-2021
An external project with the collaboration of ICSuro. Analysis of the chromatographic profiles of the stoppers during the different manufacturing processes.
4. STUDY OF THE EVOLUTION AND TRACEABILITY OF CORK STOPPERS WITH QR/NFC TECHNOLOGY | 2017-2018
5. CALCULATION OF CARBON FOOTPRINT NATURAL PLUG AND CAVA PLUG | 2021
Together with ICSuro and ReMa Ingeniería, we calculated the carbon footprint of our stoppers from the forests, going through the first phases of the production process that we carry out in our company Vimatap 15 in Extremadura, continuing with the production process at our headquarters in Palafrugell and until the end of its useful life.
We were based on the international regulations PAS 2050: 2011 or ISO 14067: 2018 and we investigated the most reliable criteria with reality to achieve an objective calculation, and that can be useful to promote regulations at an international and national level, since we are part of of the committee CTN56 / SC5 CORK subcommittee.
6. CORK2WINE | 2019-2023
Project that aims to apply a new comprehensive approach to cork research to address the progress and overcome the current technological challenges of the national cork sector. From the stages of primary production in the forestry field to the subsequent manufacture of wine stoppers, this initiative also studies the profitable and optimal use of by-products and waste.
In short, CORK2WINE aims to guarantee the competitiveness, sustainability, international positioning and future viability of the sector.
J·Vigas participates in this project, which is led by Francisco Oller, along with other companies such as Amorim Forestal, Quimivita, Muga and Vilarnau.
7. IDENTIFICATION OF HIDDEN DEFECTS IN THE PLUG | 2020-2021
Research project testing different technologies in the development phase or that are already on the market. We study the technology objectively and its possible purchase when it meets the requirements of J Vigas.
FUTURE PROJECTS
Based on the research projects carried out, we are currently immersed in the following lines of research:
- Surface treatment with natural products
- Preparation process for ISO 22000 in Food Safety
