Know Everything about Vinegar. What is Vinegar?

Know Everything about Vinegar. What is Vinegar?


The word "vinegar" derives from the Old French vin aigre, meaning "sour wine".
Vinegar has been used since ancient times. It has also been used as a medicine, a corrosive agent, and as a preservative.
Vinegar is a totally natural food.
In a bottle of vinegar there are no harmful chemicals or preservatives


The dictionary defines vinegar as “sour wine” or “a sour liquid obtained by acetic fermentation of dilute alcoholic liquids and used as a condiment or preservative.”

Vinegar is an acidic liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid (ethanoic acid).
acetic acid is not vinegar

Vinegar contains many vitamins like riboflavin, Vitamin B-1 and mineral salts.
vinegar’s shelf life is almost indefinite. Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration.

Meaning of fermentation –
The science of fermentation is known as zymurgy.
fermentation is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol.
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions.

Vinegar is made from the oxidation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria.
The ethanol may be derived from many different sources including wine, cider, beer or fermented fruit juice.
Vinegar can be made from any fruit, or from any material containing sugar.

Most vinegars have less than 3 calories per tablespoon and no fat. Seasoned vinegars may contain more calories due to the added ingredients.

There are two processes of fermentation that differ by speed of production. While the fast fermentation process takes only hours to days, it requires the use of machinery to promote the oxygenation.
The slow fermentation process takes weeks to months and occurs naturally. At the same time, a nontoxic slime called mother of vinegar accumulates in the liquid.

Vinegar's main ingredient is Acetic Acid. The chemical formula for acetic acid CH3COOH. Acetic acid is sometimes called ethanoic acid.
The transformation of wine or fruit juice to vinegar is a chemical process in which ethyl alcohol undergoes partial oxidation that results in the formation of acetaldehyde. In the third stage, the acetaldehyde is converted into acetic acid. The chemical reaction is as follows: CH 3 CH 2 OH=2HCH 3 CHO=CH 3 COOH.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that any product called “vinegar” contain at least 4% acidity.

Following are the different types of Vinegar –

1.Malt Vinegar is made by malting barley

2.Wine Vinegar is made from red or white wine

3.Apple Cider Vinegar or cider vinegar is made from cider or apple must

4.Fruit vinegars are made from fruit wines

5.Balsamic vinegar is made from the concentrated juice or must of white grapes like trebbiano.

6.Rice vinegar is available in white, red and black types. Japanese use white vinegar for sushi rice and salad dressings. Red rice vinegar is colored with red yeast rice. Black rice vinegar is made from black glutinous rich and is used in china.

7.Coconut vinegar is made from fermented coconut water and is used in Philippines and there is called as suka ng niyog.

8.Palm vinegar is made from fermented sap from flower clusters of the nipa palm

9.Cane vinegar is made from sugar cane juice.

10.Raisin vinegar is made from raisins even it is called as grape vinegar in Arabic.

11.Date vinegar is made from dates

12.Beer vinegar is made from beer.

13.Honey vinegar is made from honey and is available in Italy, Spain and France.

14.Black vinegar is made from rice, wheat, millet, sorghum or a combination of all. This vinegar is used in china, hongkong.

15.Herb vinegars are flavored with herbs.

16.Distilled Vinegar is also called as distilled spirit or virgin vinegar or white vinegar and is used for medicinal, laboratory and cleaning purposes as well as in cooking.

17.Corn vinegar is made by using combination of corn alcohol with water and nutrients and then this combination is fermented into white distilled vinegar.

Distilled vinegar is often the best choice for most other applications other than eating.

The International Vinegar Museum is in Roslyn, South Dakota.
The International Vinegar Festival is held every June in Roslyn, South Dakota.

Jesus was offered vinegar before he was crucified.
In Islamic traditions, vinegar is one of the four favored condiments of the Prophet Muhammad, who called it a "Blessed seasoning"
Helen of Troy bathed in vinegar to relax.

The Babylonians used vinegar to preserve and pickle food.
Hippocrates prescribed vinegar as a remedy for a variety of ailments.

Caesar’s armies used vinegar as a beverage.
Hannibal drenched huge boulders in hot vinegar which cracked them into small pieces, enabling his army to continue its journey across the Alps.

Early Europeans used vinegar as a deodorizer.
During the Bubonic Plague people poured vinegar on their skin to protect themselves from germs.

Cleopatra dissolved pearls in vinegar to prove that she could consume a fortune in a single meal.
Sailors used vinegar as a food preservative during long voyages.
World War I medics used vinegar to treat soldiers’ wounds.

There are many methods using which vinegar is made.

Vinegar can be made of two bio-chemical procedures that result in the creation of micro-organisms.
The first one is made through the fermentation process that transforms the sugar into alcohol and the gas into carbon dioxide.
This is the alcoholic fermentation process.

The second process results when a wide variety of acetic bacterias are used.
These so called acetobacters are capable of combining oxygen and alcohol.
This is more commonly known as the acetic fermentation or acetification.
synthetic acetic acid is harmful to humans health so while purchasing vinegar please be careful.

Because of the FDA in USA the practice of adulterating the naturally processed vinegar with synthetic acetic acid has almost been eliminated in America.
Regarding India we have nothing like FDA. So when You visit India remember we have in India there is no FDA so no food and health guarantee in India.

 
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Thursday, September 16, 2010

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