Model Wine: The use of ethanol in enology

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Because ethanol is the second-most abundant chemical in wine, second only to water, it is an essential tool for enology research experiments. Real wine is incredibly complicated and can be difficult to study. Scientists often perform experiments in model wine instead. Model wine is a simplified chemical solution, consisting of just the major components, like water, ethanol, and a few other organic compounds like tartaric acid and sugars. For example, model wine is used to perform sensory and kinetic studies in wine. The same goes for other alcoholic beverages. Ethanol can also be used to make model whisky, model tequila, and so on.

The Use of Ethanol in the Perfume Industry

By Adrian Dingle

Every aspect of our experience with perfumes is grounded in chemistry. At the center of that experience is a very well-known substance, regular old ethanol. Most of the alcohol used in the commercial production of perfumes is denatured alcohol, i.e., that which has been made unfit for human consumption.

The Types of Ethanol

By Adrian Dingle

In modern times the denaturing of ethanol falls broadly into two categories: Specially Denatured Alcohol (SDA) and Complete Denatured Alcohol (CDA), and is regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a subset (bureau) of the US Department of the Treasury. SDA refers to several different combinations of chemicals that are added to ethanol in various quantities depending on the intended final use.

How Bread Waste Could Provide a Sustainable Source for Ethanol

By Ashlee Bushee

Researchers successfully used the Neurospora intermedia in the production of Ethanol from leftover bread. The only additions to this process were water, heat, and one-half of the recommended amount of liquefaction enzyme.

Ethanol in the Future of Middle-America

By Adrian Dingle

Politics and the environment will continue to be the drivers for the development of alternative, non-fossil fuel energy sources, and ethanol remains in competition with others such as electric and wind, but there are enormous incentives in middle-America for the continued rise of ethanol in the field.

Aromatized Flavors by Ethanol

What is Ethanol?  Also called Ethyl Alcohol or Grain Alcohol, ethanol is a colorless liquid that is a slightly toxic and flammable organic compound with a chemical formula that contains “2 atoms of carbon, six hydrogens, and one oxygen” C₂H₅OH.  Ethanol is one of the essential carbon compounds in the chemical industry. It is used […]

Unraveling Protein – The Influence Of Ethanol On Flavor, Function, And Nutrition

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Ethanol could have more to do with your protein intake than you may realize. Specifically, ethanol can influence the two most critical elements of protein nutrition: bioavailability and flavor. Maybe you have a mimosa with your eggs, white wine with your fish, and red wine with your steak. What if I told you ethanol can […]