Alcoholic beverages, alcohol content

To produce beverages of higher alcohol content (brandy, whiskey, and vodka) the aqueous solution must be distilled. 

The convention for identifying the alcoholic content of beverages is proof So, 100 proof is 50% ethyl alcohol 86 proof scotch is 43% ethyl alcohol, and so on. Divide by two. So pure ethyl alcohol is 200 proof... 

Alcohol content Soy beverages Spirits Vending machines... 

Worldwide, ethyl alcohol is the basis for a huge alcoholic beverage industry, offering a wide range of products whetein the alcoholic content varies from a few to over 50% < 100 proof). Industrially, ethyl alcohol is very important high-tonnage raw and intermediate material for numerous processes, and is used extensively in solvents, antiseptics, antifreeze compounds, and fuels. 

The reasons for determining the alcohol content of foods and beverages are many. A brief examination was carried out by Amelio (1), large parts of which are reexamined here. 

PROOF A measure of the strength of an alcoholic beverage. The proof of an alcoholic beverage is twice the amount of its alcohol content. For example, 100 proof whiskey is 50% alcohol. 

Mead is a yeast-derived alcoholic beverage varying in alcohol content between 8% and 18% (Navratil et al., 2001). It is produced from a dilute solution of honey, obtained by adding an adequate amount of water or fruit juice. Honey can be diluted in different proportions, for example, 1 0.5, 1 1, 1 2, and 1 3 (honey water). Each produces different types of mead. 

The concept of this process has been demonstrated for lowering or increasing the alcohol content of distilled spirits by using water vapor or ethanol vapor in the sweep stream, respectively. In either case, this vapor arbitration action combined with the inherent selectivity of the membrane resulted in virtually complete preservation of the subtle character of the beverage, but in a more concentrated form due to the lower net volume of the retentate product (Lee, 1993). Similar results may be anticipated in other volume reduction applications involving high-value volatile feedstocks. 

Distillation is an ancient unit operation, and has been widely practiced for thousands of years. Early applicetions used crude vaporization and condensation equipment, often for concentrating the alcoholic content of beverages, The first vertical columnar continuous distillation still was developed by Cellier-Blumenthal in France in 1813. Perrier introduced an early version of the bubble-cep tray in England in 1822, Packings were used as early as 1820 by a technologist named Clement who used glass balls in an alcohol still. Coffey developed the first sieve tray column in 1830. The first book on fundamentals of distillation was La Rectification de I alcohol by Ernest Sorel in 1893. 

During the first quarter of the twentieth century, the application of distillation expanded from a tool for enhancing the alcohol content of beverages into the prime separation technique in the chemical industry. This expansion accelerated once distillation was recognized as an effective means of separating crude oil into various products, From there, the application of distillation spread into the majority of chemical processes, Detailed descriptions of the history of distillation, including illustrations of historic exhibits, are given by Fair (1), Underwood (2), and Forbes (3). 

The reaction is catalyzed by the enzymes found in yeast. This reaction can proceed only until the alcohol content reaches about 13% (the percentage found in most wines), at which point the yeast can no longer survive. Beverages with higher alcohol content are made by distilling the fermentation mixture. 

The use of alcoholic beverages is an ancient and very general custom. The natural alcoholic beverages are those weak in alcohol content and are simply the undistilled fermentation liquids. They are winCj beefy ale, stout, and others similar in character but with different... 

Beverage Alcohol content (vol. % per beverage) Alcohol content (grams/litre per beverage)... 

Fermentation and Distillation Expressing the Alcohol Content of a Beverage... 

In the United States, alcohol percentage is denoted by volume. This calculation is straightforw ard 16 ounces of a beverage that is 50% ethanol contains 8 ounces of alcohol. Another way of expressing alcohol content is by w eight, w hich is done, for example, in Britain. 

Major Kinds of Alcoholic Beverages, How They Are Made, and Their Alcohol Content... 

Oxidation is the process by which the energy in foods is released in the form of heat and work. In this respect, alcohol liberates about 75 calories in each half ounce. Therefore, one standard drink of whiskey has about 75 calories because all the calories in distilled spirits are from alcohol content. However, beverages such as beer provide calories from foods such as proteins and carbohydrates as well as alcohol. A regular 12-ounce, 4%-alcohol beer has about 150 calories, and a comparable amount t>f the commercial light beers has 95-135 calorics. Light beers have fewer calorics primarily because they contain less alcohol. 

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