1. Vinegar is made from starchy raw materials such as grains through microbial koji-making, saccharification, alcohol fermentation and acetic acid fermentation. Besides acetic acid (3% ~ 5%), its main components also contain amino acids, organic acids, sugars, vitamins, alcohols, esters and other nutrients and flavor components, which have unique color, fragrance and taste. It is not only a good condiment, but also very beneficial to health if eaten for a long time.
2. At present, the main raw materials used in the production of vinegar are: sweet potato, potato and other potatoes; Cereals, such as corn and rice; Broken rice, chaff, chaff and other food processing scraps. ; Fruits and vegetables, such as blackcurrants, grapes, carrots, etc. Wild plants such as acorns and artichokes; Others such as sour wine, sour beer, molasses, etc.
In addition to the above-mentioned main raw materials, the production of vinegar also needs loose materials such as chaff and corncob, so that the fermented materials have good permeability and aerobic microorganisms can grow well.
Method for making vinegar
1. The raw materials of traditional fermented vinegar in China are mainly glutinous rice and rice (japonica rice) in the south of the Yangtze River and sorghum and millet in the north of the Yangtze River. Nowadays, broken rice, corn, sweet potato, dried sweet potato, potato and dried potato are used as substitutes. Raw materials are cooked, gelatinized, liquefied and saccharified to convert starch into sugar, then ethanol is produced by yeast fermentation, and then ethanol is oxidized by acetic acid bacteria to produce acetic acid.
2. fermented vinegar, a sugar-containing raw material, can be used to brew all kinds of juice vinegar from grapes, apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, dates and tomatoes, and honey and molasses can also be used as raw materials. They all only need to go through two biochemical stages: ethanol fermentation and acetic acid fermentation.
3. Using ethanol as raw material, acetic acid bacteria only ferment with acetic acid for one biochemical stage. For example, it takes only 1 ~ 3 days to brew wine vinegar with low-alcohol liquor or edible alcohol diluted with water as raw materials by rapid brewing method.
4. White vinegar is vinegar with similar flavor to fermented vinegar by adding water to edible glacial acetic acid and adding seasonings, spices, pigments and other substances.