Natural cork and synthetic cork?!
Natural cork and synthetic cork?
can anybody tell me the difference between above 2
Answers:
Natural Cork vs. Synthetic Cork
G. Hughes, T. Jafferi, J. Martin, M. Weiss
Mission Statement:
?Determining properties, and significant
differences in mechanical and structural
behaviors between natural and synthetic cork
(nomacorc?)
?Determine which material performs better in
specific applications
Microstructural analysis conducted using the ESEM (above):
?Natural cork constructed of cell walls
?Synthetic cork contains foam-like structure with skin
coating.
Mechanical Compressive test performed on samples (right):
?Natural cork buckled due to existing defects
?Synthetic cork compressed with consistent form and structure
45% Yield Stress 90% Yield Stress 160% Yield Stress
Change in Strain over 10 cycles (mm/mm)
Natural
Synthetic
Mechanical tests of Fatigue and Compressive tests
(at 2 temp) conducted (below):
?Natural cork performed better in fatigue under yield
stress values
?Natural cork stronger under compression than
synthetic cork
?Colder samples stronger (stiffer) than RT samples
gs
Source(s):
http://www.matsci.northwestern.edu/class...
i heard that the natural cork adds to the flavor of the wine.
yeah i prefer natural cork i guess it will decompose as well unlike synthetic versions.
http://www.foodforthoughtonline.net/put_...
It depends what you mean by difference.
The difference is one is made from natural cork (i.e. the bark of the cork tree) and the other is made from synthetics (i.e. plastic).
The problem with natural cork is that about 5% of all wines are spoiled by a fungus (TCA) in the cork. It was thought that synthetic closures were the answer. They are for TCA. Unfortunately they bring problems of their own. They lose elasticity after a few years so are no good for aging wines.
The best closure is a good quality screwcap closure.
Natural cork can shrink and impart a corkiness to the wine.
Synthetic is more stable
Natural cork comes from the bark of the cork tree. It's good but in about 5-8% of the cases the cork has a fungus which reacts with the wine and spoils it.
A synthetic cork is plastic and while it won't react with the wine it won't keep well. Eventually the plastic degrades and either lets air into the bottle, or breaks when you try to remove it.
The best way to seal the wine is to use a screwcap. I know it's the hallmark of cheap wine, but they're superior to cork in just about every way.
Check it out here:
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/ma...