Total acidity: titre, not taste

The standard

Titrated total acidity names the method and the reference value against which it is measured: titration to a defined endpoint, expressed as tartaric acid. Without these details an acidity figure is not comparable.

Criteria

• The value arises from titration to a fixed endpoint
• It is expressed as a single reference acid
• It records the sum, not the distribution of the individual acids
• It is a measured concentration, not a taste value

Distinction

Total acidity ≠ pH value: the pH measures the strength of the acid effect, total acidity its amount. Total acidity ≠ perceived acidity: measured amount and perceived impression do not necessarily coincide. Titrated total acidity remains a laboratory figure, not a sensory verdict.