Assignment 2

Vinegar production

There are three well-known processes of producing vinegar

The Orleans Method

This is one of the older and slower methods of creating a high-quality vinegar. This method involves the
fermentation of vinegar inside a container. The container has holes drilled into it to allow oxygen inside. These
holes also contain screen filters which prevent insects and bugs from entering the cask which will disturb the
production. Oxygen is necessary to produce vinegar as the bacteria that turns the solution into vinegar requires
oxygen. To create the vinegar, the alcoholic liquid is poured into the cask and then about 20% of fresh vinegar
is poured into the cask to begin the fermentation process. Once the acetobacter bacteria oxidises the acetic
acid the vinegar is now finished. There is a plug on the container to collect the finished vinegar, and a tube to
add more substances without destroying the film of vinegar bacteria.

The Trickling, Quick Process

As the Orleans method is a very slow process, many people tried to increase the production by implementing
a new method. This method of producing vinegar involves spraying the alcoholic substrate in the top layer of
the fermentation chamber where it is filled with materials that carry a slime made of acetic bacteria so that the
bacteria could react with the substrate and create vinegar. Due to the heat that is made during the fermentation
of vinegar, air is forced through the chamber to keep it cool. The vinegar is recirculated two-three times until
the desired concentration of vinegar is achieved. Once the vinegar is achieved it is then collected from the
collection chamber.

The Submerged Fermentation Method

This method is the newer, faster, and more efficient methods of producing vinegar. It is mainly used in
industrial businesses where the needed equipment is present. In this method, a high-speed motor breaks down
air that is brought down from a stainless-steel tank into tiny bubbles and is forced into the solution of alcoholic
liquid and the bacteria for even faster oxidisation. The final steps are filtration and pasteurisation of the vinegar
to stop any more bacteria growth and enzyme actions. As this process usually takes one to two days to process
so this method is mainly used by big industries.

Flow chart of vinegar production

Quality Control

The growing of acetobacters, the bacteria that creates vinegar, requires vigilance. In the Orleans Method, holes
must be checked routinely to ensure that insects have not penetrated the netting. Workers routinely check the
thermostats on the container. Because a loss of electricity could kill the acetobacters within seconds, many
vinegar plants have backup systems to produce electrical power in the event of a blackout.

By products/Waste:

Vinegar production results in very little by-products or waste. In fact, the alcohol product is often the by-
product of other processes such as winemaking and baker’s yeast.

Some sediment will result from the submerged fermentation method. This sediment is biodegradable and can
be flushed down a drain for disposal.

References:
 http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Vinegar.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar
 http://aceticacidvinegar.weebly.com/manufacturing-process.html