JOURNAL OF DISTILLING SCIENCE: ISSUE ONE

JOURNAL OF DISTILLING SCIENCE

ISSUE 1 ABSTRACTS

APPLICATIONS OF THE PARTIAL MOLAR VOLUME CONCEPT IN WHISKY AND GIN DILUTIONS WITH WATER

Franklin M. Chen, Nada Abdi, and Nolan Torres University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311 ABSTRACT: The meaning of the partial molar volume, the analytical methods for finding the partial molar volumes and the additivity theorem of the partial molar volumes are explained. The additivity theorem of the partial molar volume is used for whisky alcohol strength dilutions and for single-shot or multi-shot gin in both flavor dilution with grain neutral spirit and alcohol strength dilution. KEYWORDS: Alcohol by volume (A % v/v), Alcohol by weight (A w/w), Partial molar volume, Additivity Theorem, Alcohol strength dilution, Single shot or multi-shot gin flavor dilution, Grain Neutral Spirit (GNS)

The inaugural edition of the Journal of Distilling Science (JDS) presented four papers detailing important current topics of main-stream interest. The authors detail important advances for food and beverage quality control and sanitation issues when shifting between potable and non-potable alcohol products production within the same facility. The last point related to the shift in 2020 to hand sanitizer production at US craft distilleries. It has proven to be an issue in reverting back to potable spirit making while retaining the normal sensory qualities of spirit. Solid state fermentation systems or starters and double parallel fermentation (combined sugar release and fermentation) — as seen for baijiu production — are becoming of more importance to distillers outside of China, Japan, and other Asian countries. The topic of maturation of spirits in or on wood has also become of increasing interest as a result of dwindling supplies of oak, distillers trying to better understand the speed of maturation, to seek alternate wood-derived flavors for differentiating matured product styles, or simply to make use of indigenous tree species. And, in relation to maturation and spirits dilution, a key method for spirits producers to accurately dilute their wares is essential. In the case presented here the dilution is for essentially a binary solvent system — ethanol and water with low congener content (low solids) — traditional spirits. The situation is more complex with highly sweetened or flavored products. It is hoped that this latter topic and indeed all topics of relevance to distilled spirits production will provide more detailed information in short order in forthcoming issues of the JDS.

CHINESE BAIJIU – FINDING A CHANNEL TO DESIGN A DEFINED STARTER CULTURE

Bowen Wang, Huiyi Hao, Hehe Li, Jinyuan Sun, Baoguo Sun

Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry, School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China

ABSTRACT: Qu (a starter composed of multiple microbes, enzymes, and nutrients) is essential for initiating Chinese baijiu fermentation and is usually prepared in an open system to enrich the starter complex with microorganisms from the local environment. However, with the challenge of increasing manufacturing and labor costs, traditional spontaneous fermentation cannot meet the growing industrial needs for standardization and modernization. Nowadays, the development of a synthetic microbiota built up from selected and cultured microorganisms enables the repeatable, standardized production of fermented foods. The use of such synthetic microbiota to convert raw materials into foods can hopefully reproduce the smells and tastes of traditional products. This review critically summarizes the properties of traditional qu and discusses the potential of a defined synthetic microbiota to revolutionize the production of such fermentation starters for future baijui production. The prospects and challenges in dealing with the identification, selection, cultivation, and incorporation of microbes into such synthetic microbiota (or new ecological complexes) are specifically related to developing a fully defined and effective mixed-starter culture for use in traditional fermented food production are detailed here.

KEYWORDS: Baijiu, defined starter, enzyme, microbiota, Qu, synthetic microbiota

LIGNIN-DERIVED PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN CACHAÇA AGED IN BARRELS FROM TROPICAL WOOD SPECIES

Mariana C. Castro, Giovanni C. Silvello, André R. Alcarde

(Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias 11, CP 9, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil)

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the lignin-derived phenolic compounds in cachaça aged in barrels made from tropical woods. Cachaça was aged for 36 months in toasted new wooden barrels made from amburana (Amburana cearensis), cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus) and castanheira (Bertholletia excelsa). New barrels made from European oak (Quercus petraea) and American oak (Quercus alba) were also employed. Cinnamic aldehydes, benzoic aldehydes and benzoic acids were analyzed at the end of the aging time. A significant effect of wood species was observed on all the studied phenolic compounds. Syringaldehyde and the benzoic acids were the main low-molecular-weight compounds in aged cachaça. All the phenolic families under study were at higher concentrations in cachaça aged in amburana barrels. Cachaça aged in castanheira barrels displayed the highest ratio of gallic acid to vanillin, whereas that aged in cabreúva barrels exhibited the highest ratio of syringaldehyde to vanillin. Cachaça aged in barrels made from amburana had the highest sum of lignin-derived phenolic compounds, followed by cachaça matured in American oak and cabreúva barrels. Amburana showed a great potential to provide lignin-derived phenolic compounds to cachaça during aging. Cachaça aged in oak barrels exhibited the highest contents of ethyl acetate and acetic acid, whereas the samples aged in European and American oak and amburana barrels reached the highest total score in sensory evaluation. The aging process in new tropical wood barrels, singly or complementarily to oak, enhanced the flavor complexity of aged cachaça and broadened and diversified its taste and aroma profiles.

KEY WORDS: sugarcane spirit, aging, tropical woods, lignin, phenolic compounds

INVESTIGATION OF APPROPRIATE CLEANING SOLUTIONS FOR REMOVAL OF DENATONIUM BENZOATE FROM DISTILLERY EQUIPMENT

Lauren E. Mehanna1, Kara A. Davis1, Shankar C. Miller-Murthy1 , Tracy A. Gastineau-Stevens2, Bert C. Lynn2,3, Brad J. Berron1,3

1 Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA 2 Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA 3 James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

ABSTRACT: During the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol distilleries pivoted their production lines to manufacture hand sanitizer. Denatonium benzoate is a bittering agent and denaturant in hand sanitizer and is detectable in trace amounts. As a result, transitioning from hand sanitizer back to distilled spirits creates products with bitter flavors. Several cleaning methods were studied to determine their effectiveness in removing denatonium benzoate from materials in distillery equipment. Hydrogen peroxide and activated carbon were most effective in removing denatonium benzoate in the solution phase, with more than 40 percent removed compared to the original solution concentration. Strong acidic and basic cleaners were ineffective, with less than 10 percent of the original compound removed. When tested as cleaners on the distillery materials, hydrogen peroxide and activated carbon methods were no more effective than other rinsing (water, glycerol) or extraction (pure ethanol) cleaners for removing denatonium benzoate. Chemical compatibility, specifically with concentrated ethanol, plays a large role in the permeation of denatonium benzoate into and out of some materials. Hard materials, such as metals and rigid polymers, have good compatibility with ethanol, resulting in little swelling and denatonium benzoate penetration when soaked with sanitizer. Since they retained little denatonium benzoate, they are cleaned by simple rising. However, elastomeric materials vary greatly in their compatibility with high proof ethanol, leading to swelling or breakdown in the presence of hand sanitizer and a greater amount of denatonium benzoate leaching into the material. While ethanol effectively extracts denatonium benzoate out of the elastomers, it damages the material, requiring more frequent replacement.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19, hand sanitizer, denatonium benzoate, distillery cleaning, compatibility