Alcohol continued grain

In the alcohol industry, grain or potato raw materials are milled and water added to form a slurry or mash which is heated either batchwise or continuously. Traditionally, the mash is heated to 150°C by the injection of Uve steam. To reduce viscosity, a-amylases are added both during beating to 150°C and during cooling. Thermostable a-amylases from Bacillus licheniformis are the most commonly used enzymes for these processes (68). 

More recently, interest has developed in the use of enzymes to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose (25—27). Domestic or forest product wastes can be used to produce the fermentation substrate. Whereas there has been much research on alcohol fermentation, whether from cereal grains, molasses, or wood hydrolysis, the commercial practice of this technology is primarily for the industrial alcohol and beverage alcohol industries. About 100 plants have been built for fuel ethanol from com, but only a few continue to operate (28). 

Grain Whiskey. Grain whiskey is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented wort derived from malted and unmalted badey and com, in varying proportions, and distilled in a continuous patent still (Coffey). 

There is curently a government-sponsored program to increase fermentation alcohol capacity to provide material for gasohol. The issues here are numerous and complex, and emotionally-colored evaluations are clearly evident even among those who profess to have purely scientific or technical interests. Barring a drastic rise in grain prices the program is likely to continue. 

Beriberi, a neurologic and cardiovascular disorder, is caused by adi etary deficiency of thiamine (also called vitamin B,). The disease has been and continues to be a serious health problem in the Far East because rice, the major food, has a rather low content of thiamine. This deficiency is partly ameliorated if the whole rice grain is soaked in water before milling some of the thiamine in the husk then leaches into the rice kernel. The problem is exacerbated if the rice is polished, because only the outer layer contains significant amounts ot thiamine. Beriberi is also occasionally seen in alcoholics who are severely malnourished and thus thiamine deficient. The disease is characterized by neurologic and cardiac symptoms. Damage to the peripheral nervous system is expressed as pain in the limbs, weakness of the musculature, and distorted skin sensation. The heart may be enlarged and the cardiac output inadequate. 

If one accepts, however, that the long range price of oil and energy will continue to increase, then ethyl alcohol as a liquid fuel, especially for internal combustion spark ignition engines, will continue to be a potentially viable alternative fuel source. The fact that alcohol may be profitably manufactured from a variety of crop and forest residues, as well as from grains themselves, enhances its appeal to farm producers. 

Continuous flow conveyors or extractors that compress the stillage grain to improve beer removal are common in commercial distilleries. Similar designs sized for small-scale plants are under development. Keep in mind that separating solids before distillation can result in up to a 20 percent alcohol loss if extraction design is too simple. 

Fluid Extract of Chamomile. Take of fresh chamomile flowers, 1 pound alcohol of specific gravity. 871. Moisten the chamomile in coarse powder, with the alcohol, then pack in a percolator, and cover with the alcohol digest 6 days, and draw off 12 ounces, which set aside. Continue the displacement Trith dilated alcohol, until it is fireely exhausted of its bitterness, which evaporate in a vacuum to 4 fluid ounces. Mix and fiter. 1 drachm of this preparation represents 60 grains of chamomile flowers, which is usually... 

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