Food Microbiology II- NFSC 278

Industrial Microbiology
Vinegar
Vinegar
A dilute solution of acetic acid produced by a
two-stage fermentation process
In the first stage, fermentable sugars are
converted into ethanol by the action of yeasts
In the second stage, bacteria of the genus
Acetobacter oxidize the ethanol to acetic acid
Vinegar Production
Fruit
Grain, Root Crops (Starch)
Starch Glucose + Maltose
Enzymes
Fermentable Mono- &
Disaccharides Alcoholic Fermentation
Glucose or Fructose ethyl alcohol + carbon
dioxide
Yeast
Anaerobic
conditions
Ethyl Alcohol
Vinegar Production
Ethyl Alcohol
Acetic Acid
Ethyl Alcohol Acetic acid
Acetic acid bacteria
air
ACETIFICATION
Theoretical conversion
1g glucose 0.51 g ethyl alcohol 0.67g acetic acid
Vinegar
Production of vinegar can occur as a
spontaneous fermentation
Both types of microorganisms necessary for
vinegar production are commonly associated
with plant products as part of their natural
microflora
pH of vinegar is 3 or below
Uses of Vinegar
Food Uses:
Individual vinegars have their own particular
flavor reflecting the process by which it was
made and the raw material used
It is a good solvent for the essential oils of
herbs and spices and has been a sauce
ingredient throughout history
Uses of Vinegar
Vinegars flavored with tarragon, chili, garlic,
rosemary and the like are produced
commercially for use in home-produced
marinades and salad dressings
The range of food products prepared using
vinegar include: mayonnaise, ketchups, sauces,
chopped pickles, brined vegetables
Uses of Vinegar
Pickling foods in vinegar is one of the
traditional technologies of food preservation
The preservative action of vinegar is due to its
acetic acid content
0.1% of the undissociated acid will inhibit the
growth of most food poisoning and spore-
forming bacteria
Raw Materials
Vinegar can be made from any non-toxic
raw material that furnishes a juice or solution
containing fermentable sugars
A vinegar takes its name from the raw
material used
E.g. malt vinegar, wine vinegar, rice vinegar
Raw Materials
Vinegar is an inexpensive commodity, its
economic production requires a relatively low
cost raw material

In most cases the raw material used contains
sufficient nutrients to support the growth and
metabolism of acetic acid bacteria
Alcoholic Fermentations
Normally the yeast used in alcoholic
fermentation is a strain of the species
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The transformation of a hexose by S. cerevisiae
can be represented chemically by the Gay-
Lussac equation:
C
6
H
12
O
6
2C
2
H
5
OH + 2CO
2
Fermentable
hexose (180g)
Ethanol
(92g)
Carbon
dioxide (88g)
Alcoholic Fermentations
The catabolism of sugar provides the yeast
cell with a source of biosynthesis
intermediates as well as energy
Not all the sugar is converted to ethanol
Some of the sugar is diverted to the
production of yeast cell biomass, glycerol
and succinic acid
Alcoholic Fermentations
This leads to a decrease in ethanol yield: a
realistic theoretical yield would be 95%, and a
good practical yield is 90%
The fermentation in vinegar production are
less susceptible to microbial contamination
than many other industrial fermentations
It is possible to carry it out in simple vessels
such as open vats of wood or concrete
Processing of Vinegar
After acetification, vinegar is usually matured
in full closed vats for up to a year
During this time it develops its characteristic
flavor and aroma and some settlement on
unstable colloids takes place
Raw vinegar is normally cloudy with
suspended bacteria and other particles
Processing of Vinegar
A haze or precipitate may form in vinegars that
have been in contact with non-acid resistant
materials
This is usually due to the formation of iron and
copper (metal-containing precipitates), which
spoil the appearance of vinegar and make it
unsuitable for use in pickling
Processing of Vinegar
Bacterial growth and turbidity in bottled
vinegar can be prevented by a heat treatment
Gram negative acetic acid bacteria is not heat
resistant, so use 60
0
C for few minutes is
enough to eliminate the numbers encountered
Product is either hot-filled into bottles after
treatment or pasteurized in the bottle
Processing of Vinegar
There is considerable advantage in producing
a vinegar containing high levels of acetic acid, it
is more effective in the pickling of high moisture
content foods
The maximum concentration of acetic acid that
can be produced by fermentation is usually
around 10-15%
Vinegar Standards, Composition and
Analysis
Normally a standard identifies particular
qualities associated with a foodstuff, describes
the method of analysis to be used and makes
some recommendations as to acceptable limits
The principal competitor of vinegar is edible-
grade synthetic acetic acid, diluted with water
and usually colored with caramel
Vinegar Standards, Composition and
Analysis
Acc to Codex:

Vinegar is a liquid fit for human consumption,
produced from a suitable raw material of
agricultural origin, containing starch, sugars or
starch and sugars, by the process of double
fermentation, alcoholic and acetous and
contains a specified amount of acetic acid
Vinegar Standards, Composition and
Analysis
The principal quality criterion of vinegar is the
acetic acid content, the minimum level is
usually set at 4% (w/v)
Many bottled vinegars normally contain 5%
The determination of acidity cannot
distinguish between a true vinegar and diluted
acetic acid!