Which of the following is a result of malolactic fermentation?

• A. Increase in microbial stability
• B. Decrease in pH
• C. Color loss in red wines
• D. Flavor change without VA increase

Answer: (A)

Malolactic fermentation converts malic acid into lactic acid and carbon dioxide, which softens the wine’s acidity and raises its pH slightly. This change makes the environment less favorable for certain spoilage microbes that thrive in very sharp, malic-acid-rich conditions, so the wine becomes more microbiologically stable. You’ll also often get flavor changes from diacetyl production, but the main stability-related outcome is the reduced malic acidity.

The other options don’t fit as the primary, direct result: pH actually increases (not decreases), color changes aren’t a defining consequence of MLF, and flavor shifts can occur with VA changes—MLF doesn’t guarantee a flavor change without any impact on volatile acidity.