A Purdue University graduate has developed a method designed to keep wine in opened, unfinished bottles fresh for weeks. The method uses a spray of argon gas to stop the oxidation process. Credit: Purdue University

A young entrepreneur who is commercializing a product that cuts down wine waste one bottle at a time is seeing growing interest across the country – both online and from wine tasting rooms.

Ryan Frederickson, a Purdue University chemical engineering graduate from Purdue's College of Engineering and founder of ArT Wine Preserver, says just spray a small amount of , a safe, nontoxic, nonflammable inert gas, into a of wine. It is designed to keep wine in opened, unfinished bottles fresh for weeks by using argon gas to stop the oxidation process.

Sales of his wine preservation product have doubled in the past year, mostly from increased business from Amazon and wine tasting rooms.

The goal is to allow oenophiles to enjoy a glass of wine without feeling the need to finish the bottle in one or two sittings. Opened bottles can spoil in three days, depending on factors such as type, temperature and manner of storage.

"Our mission is to reduce waste, starting with wine," Frederickson said. "We have put in place new procedures and the way we design the product and packaging to significantly cut down on our waste."

Wine preservation is a growing industry, and some devices cost several hundred dollars. There also are various other methods of trying to preserve wine, including to extract oxygen from bottles, replacing oxygen in the bottle with nitrogen, and removing wine from the bottle without pulling the cork.

Frederickson said his system is easy because a two-second spray keeps the fresh. A can costs less than $20, and discounts apply for buying multiple cans. Frederickson said homeowners will be able to preserve 40 to 50 bottles per can, which contains about 130 doses of argon.

Frederickson, who graduated from Purdue in 2014, says the name of his company comes from argon technology, taking the Ar from the chemical element symbol for argon in the periodic table.

Provided by Purdue University