Sonomechanics Blog

Wine is highly susceptible to oxygen exposure, which can dramatically affect its quality and longevity. The presence of dissolved oxygen can initiate oxidation, altering the wine's sensory characteristics and diminishing its overall value. As a result, the ability to reduce oxygen levels in wine has become a critical focus for winemakers and researchers alike.

In this blog post we will dive into this age-old problem and discuss how Industrial Sonomechanics' (ISM) cutting-edge ultrasonic degassing technology can be used as an innovative solution while setting new standards for wine preservation.

The Problem: Dissolved Oxygen-Induced Oxidation in Wine

Dissolved oxygen is both a friend and a foe in winemaking. While small amounts of oxygen can be beneficial during certain stages of the winemaking process, such as micro-oxygenation to soften tannins, excessive exposure during storage, aging, or bottling can lead to unwanted oxidation. Oxidation can cause the wine to lose its vibrant color, develop off-flavors, and otherwise deteriorate in quality. White wines are particularly sensitive to oxygen, but red wines are not immune, as oxidation can cause the loss of fruity aromas and the development of stale or sherry-like notes [1, 2].

The challenge for winemakers is to manage oxygen exposure throughout the entire winemaking process, from fermentation to the final bottling. Even small amounts of oxygen can compromise the wine's integrity, leading to significant economic losses and a negative impact on brand reputation.

Industrial ultrasonic processors are vital tools for applications like nano-emulsification, cell lysis, nanoparticle dispersion, and nano-crystallization—processes that are widely utilized across numerous industries. Choosing the right system is crucial for achieving superior results and ensuring uninterrupted production, at large volumes on the plant floor.

In this blog post, we will explore the key features that drive performance, helping you make an informed decision and ensuring your ultrasonic processor meets the specific demands of your application.

We are thrilled to announce that Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) has been granted a new patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office!

This achievement marks a significant expansion of ISM's intellectual property portfolio. The patent specifically covers several new embodiments of our groundbreaking high-amplitude Barbell Horns® technology, which are crucial to the superior performance and efficiency of our ultrasonic processors.

Further details on our Barbell Horn designs and the new patent are provided below.

Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 11,325,094 B2, entitled "Ultrasonic Horn With a Large High-Amplitude Output Surface".

This patent is an extension of our Barbell Horn Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT) intellectual property portfolio that further cements and protects our ultrasonic technology. It represents ISM's commitment to continuous improvement and ongoing equipment R&D.  

The new patent protects several novel features that improve Barbell Horns' ability to provide high vibration amplitudes and large output surface areas simultaneously, circumventing the drawbacks of conventional ultrasonic systems.

Industrial Sonomechanics, LLC (ISM) is pleased to announce the commercial availability of its new noise reduction enclosure, NRE-30. This versatile product significantly reduces the noise exposure created by ultrasonic processors in a wide range of configurations while allowing for clear visibility of the enclosed equipment.

The enclosure offers multiple important benefits to users, including a 270-degree view of the workspace and a size that keeps the unit small enough to move around yet sufficiently large to easily fit different types of equipment. 

NRE-30 features a strong extruded aluminum frame with durable and transparent plexiglass panels for structural stability, and waterproof sound-absorbing materials for safe and easy clean up. The full-front access door allows for convenient entry, enabling the operator to safely access the equipment inside.

The enclosure is built to accommodate multiple equipment models and configurations, and comes with several sealable inlet/outlet access ports for tubing and cables as well as a support stand and clamping system that fits most ultrasonic processors on the market today.  

Benefits include significantly faster throughput, less downtime, and lower total cost of ownership.

Industrial Sonomechanics, LLC (ISM) is happy to announce the commercial availability of several new large-capacity in-line filtration products, which increase the efficiency of the nanoemulsion production process and lower the associated cost. 

Filtering is key to nanoemulsion production

Filtration is a necessary post-processing step of ultrasonic nano-emulsification—a process that converts cannabis extracts and/or other hydrophobic bioactives into a water-compatible form. This new integrated unit removes microorganisms (sterilization), dust, titanium particles, and any leftover plant matter while making filtration convenient and highly scalable.

The below step-by-step guide and video illustrate the procedure for replacing Barbell Horns^®, using an Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) bench-scale ultrasonic processor, BSP-1200, as an example. This procedure is used when switching to a Barbell Horn^® of the same or, as shown in this example, a different type and can be applied with all ISM ultrasonic processors and horn models. 

Barbell Horn^® Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT) is ISM's core intellectual property, which allows our customers to scale-up their applications without having to reduce the ultrasonic amplitude and the associated processing intensity, thereby ensuring reproducible high-quality results on any scale, from lab to industrial. To learn more about why high ultrasonic amplitudes are important, please visit this page.  

Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) has cracked the code in ramping up the power of its high-amplitude industrial-scale ultrasonic liquid processor, increasing the unit's already high 3000 W power rating to 3600 W. The additional power enables our manufacturing customers to improve productivity, thereby increasing the ROI for each process they undertake. It also enables more applications involving viscous liquids (e.g., adhesives, detergents, coatings, food/beverage products), increasing the utility of ISM equipment within more diverse manufacturing conditions.

This comprehensive upgrade also includes Barbell Horn^® design improvements, the addition of a storage/mixing tank with magnetically coupled mixer, as well as many enhanced generator features (e.g., intuitive user interface, better overload protection, several new external control/monitoring features), all in a more compact and robust frame. 

In March of this year, Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) hosted a webinar, entitled "Water-Compatible Nanoemulsions: The Battle of Formulations", presented by ISM's President and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Alexey Peshkovsky. The video recording of this event has been posted on our YouTube channel.

The webinar generated over 100 questions, some of which were addressed by Alexey during the event. The answers to the remaining questions are provided below. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment below. 

The BSP-1200 bench-scale ultrasonic liquid processor is a Barbell Horn Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT)-based system, designed for process optimization and medium-scale production. It can be implemented in two processing modes: flow-through and batch. When a large amount of material needs to be processed, the former is preferable because it results in a much higher processing capacity, improved ultrasonic exposure uniformity, and better temperature control.   

When configured in the flow-through mode, the processor is supplied with four main components: a 1,200 W ultrasonic Generator, a water-cooled piezoelectric Transducer, a Barbell Horn, and a Reactor Chamber (flow cell). Although it is supplied mostly pre-assembled and ready-to-use, knowing how to put it together can be helpful. In this blog post, we provide step-by-step assembly instructions for the BSP-1200 configured in the flow-through mode. 

Please keep in mind this blog post is relevant to BSP-1200 system units shipped before April, 2021.