chiarificate

Chiarificate is the Italian verb chiarificare, meaning to make a liquid clear by removing suspended particles. The participle chiarificato or the feminine plural chiarificate describe liquids that have undergone this process. In English-language culinary and scientific writing the term is usually translated as clarified or clarification.

Clarification is used to improve appearance, stability, and texture by removing haze-forming substances such as proteins, tannins, pectins, lipids, and other particulates. Methods include physical separation—settling, decanting, centrifugation—and filtration; and chemical or biological treatment with fining agents such as gelatin, isinglass, egg white (ovalbumin), casein, bentonite, or PVPP. Temperature control, enzymatic treatment (pectinases), and colloidal stabilization can also be involved. In dairy, the term is linked to butter clarification (chiarificazione del burro), yielding clarified butter or ghee after removing water and milk solids.

In winemaking, chiarificazione or clarification aims to reduce haze and stabilize color while attempting to preserve aroma; in juice, beer, and other beverages, similar goals apply. The process may affect flavor, aroma, and nutritional content, and producers balance clarity with preserving desirable characteristics. The resulting clarified product is typically more transparent and less prone to sediment during storage.

Common related terms include clarification, fining, and filtration. Etymologically, the word derives from Latin clarificare, via Italian.