Measuring and comparing the ethanol level in traditional and industrial vinegars in Halal food industry

The amount of alcohol in food samples is very important from the point of view of toxicology and religion. Due to the frequent use of vinegar in the food industry and the possibility of alcohol in the final product during alcoholic and acetic acid fermentation processes, the present study measured the amount of vinegar ethanol in industrial and traditional samples.

To measure the amount of alcohol in vinegars, the samples were diluted and filtrated, then injected into a gas chromatography. In order to investigate the effect of time on the amount of alcohol production and conversion, the measurements were carried out at different time intervals.

Some amounts of alcohol were found both in industrial and traditional vinegar. The alcohol percentage was higher in traditional than industrial vinegars.

The high alcohol content of traditional vinegars compared to the industrial ones can be related to the difference in the methods of preparation of these two types of vinegars. Moreover, since over time, there is a significant difference in the amount of alcohol in vinegar, in the preparation of any type of industrial vinegar, especially traditional, it is necessary to optimize the supply time of the final product in order to minimize the percentage of alcohol. This is important especially for traditional vinegars, which are mostly made at home without the supervision of relevant organizations.