Moonshine has been known for a long time, but now its gracious use is accepted in situations where it is simply impossible to get anything else from the rich alcoholic assortment. However, the harm from home-made and using this drink has long been known. But still, one cannot speak only about harm, because moonshine is also distinguished by useful properties. Some believe that moonshine is healthier than vodka because it is more natural. Others, on the contrary, consider this quality to be the main indicator of harmfulness. Even the attitude to this drink is different: some consider it a traditional drink, others? drink for the plebeians.

Bad influence of moonshine

It has been proven that moonshine causes the greatest damage to the health of the drinker when compared with other alcoholic beverages. The harm of moonshine is really great, only alcohol-containing liquids used for technical purposes are more capable of acting. These include perfumes and hygiene products, which are strictly forbidden to be taken orally.

The negative impact on the body is not determined only by the high strength of this moonshine drink. All the harm is largely due to unsafe chemicals.

There are similar compounds in any moonshine, because they are in any
case appear in the process of its preparation. If there is a lack of raw materials and poor quality equipment, the content of such substances increases even more. It can be said that the bad effect of moonshine is due to damage to internal organs by ethyl alcohol and the impurities contained in this drink.

Point by point, the following can be distinguished:

severe hangover
aldehydes and fusel oils
origin

Features of fusel oils

The taste of moonshine directly depends on fusel oils. They are toxic substances that have an oily consistency. Their color? red-brown or light yellow. Fusel oils have an unpleasant odor. Their appearance is due to the process of emergence of alcohol from mash. In different concentrations, fusel oils are found in any alcohol without exception.

To isolate them, you need to pour unrefined moonshine into a spoon, and

then set it on fire.

In the industrial production of alcohol, fusel oils are separated. From them, amyl alcohol is subsequently obtained, which is used as a solvent in the dairy and confectionery industries.

In total, fusel oils consist of about forty different substances, divided into two groups:

Substances that begin to boil at temperatures above 78.4°C.
Substances that begin to boil at a temperature that is lower than the boiling point of ethyl alcohol? 78.4°C.

Of the substances that are contained in "sivuha", the most alcohol is isoamyl alcohol. It occupies about 60% of the total volume of all fusel oils. When it comes into contact with the skin, it causes redness, itching and the appearance of bubbles with liquid inside.

Alcoholic drinks are known for their characteristic taste precisely due to the presence of fusel oils in them. If they are completely removed, ordinary solutions with an alcohol content in them will remain. At the same time, if the amount of fusel oils is too large, it will lead to intoxication of the body, the possibility of a hangover and even poisoning.

It is impossible to speak unambiguously about the benefits or harms of fusel oils. You just need to monitor their amount in moonshine. Be sure to remove all harmful properties from it and try to leave only useful substances. The quality of any spirits is directly related to the techniques used in their purification.

The main mistakes in the manufacture of moonshine

Too much or too little sugar. Optimal amount? 1kg per 4-5 liters of water.
Too high or low fermentation temperature. Optimal? from 18 to 40°C.
Too long accumulation of mash. Optimal timing? 3-14 days depending on raw materials.
?Heads? or else? pervach?, which are obtained at the very beginning of distillation, you can not drink.
An attempt to separate pure alcohol from various impurities by distillation. Only rectification can help with this.
Production in any conditions and from any raw material. Impossibility of normal cleaning at home.

Hangover after moonshine

Moonshine differs from vodka in a large number of impurities. They are removed from vodka during industrial production, but it is very difficult to do this with moonshine at home.

Because of these impurities, moonshine has a characteristic taste, so loved by many. During the production of spirits such as whiskey, cognac, tequila and others, grain alcohol is deliberately not purified to the very end, but is suspended at a certain stage in order to preserve the drink's smell and taste.

It is because of these impurities that a hangover syndrome is largely formed. Impurities do not cause much harm, because their content is insufficient to poison an adult. But high-molecular alcohols, which are part of these impurities and form fusel oils, heavily load the liver, which is busy with the breakdown of alcohol, which is carried out in many stages.

High molecular weight alcohols are oxidized longer in comparison with the standard,
Therefore, the process of splitting them is much more difficult. As a result, the body will contain toxic substances for a longer time, albeit in small quantities, and a powerful hangover will also make itself felt.

That is, we can say that the cleaner the drink is, the easier it will be processed by the liver and the next morning there will be fewer consequences. Compared to vodka, moonshine will cause a much larger and stronger hangover.

Useful qualities of moonshine

Any alcohol is only doubtfully useful for a person. If we talk about moonshine, which is a surrogate type of alcohol, its benefits can be quite arbitrary.

Moonshine can be useful only if one condition is met: filtration and comprehensive cleaning. Ethyl alcohol itself is not safe, but still in purified moonshine there will be an order of magnitude less harmful substances. If everything is done correctly, then it can be even better than store-bought vodka.

Most often, craftsmen do not engage in expensive multi-stage distillation and filtration, but simply throw a couple of tablets of activated carbon into the container. Such a faith is worthy of respect, but here are the benefits of

there are very few such methods.

In fact, moonshine has no medicinal properties. If it helps people, for example, to recover from a cold? this is due only to the self-hypnosis effect.

From a medical point of view, moonshine is useful if it is used only as a local anesthetic and warming agent. Alcohol tinctures are also useful, but you can buy cheap similar products in pharmacies.

One can unequivocally say about the dangers and benefits of moonshine, only one thing: this is an individual opinion and decision of everyone. For one, moonshine can become a medicine, but for others? poison. It all depends on the quality of the moonshine drink, as well as on the mood of the person taking it. We have pointed out the possible ways of its correct application, everything further already depends only on your wishes. When using a high-quality moonshine drink in reasonable doses, there will be no harm from it, but it will also not be possible to achieve too much benefit. It is important to simply take into account its properties and not abuse it.

16.02.2018 Narcologist Mikhail Konstantinovich Perekhod 0

Fusel oils in alcohol: benefits and harms

The main element of any alcoholic beverage, which determines its taste, color, aroma, is considered fusel oils. Many, not realizing the significance of these elements, argue that their presence in alcohol indicates its poor quality. But this is far from true. Both the presence of fusel substances and the degree of their purification are important.

Fusel oily impurities in alcohol are chemical compounds. They are distinguished by a light yellow or brown-red color and a repulsive smell. It is a product formed during the fermentation of alcoholic beverages. The content of impurities is in any alcoholic product in various dosages, except for alcohol solutions that have gone through several stages of purification.

Fusel oils can be separated from alcohol on your own by doing a little experiment at home. A little crude moonshine is poured into a spoon and set on fire. The evaporation temperature of alcohol and fusel oils, when the drink boils, exceeds 79 ° C. The alcohol content will evaporate. Only a few drops of liquid, similar to oil, will remain in the spoon. These are fusel oils. The moonshine distiller has a special compartment for collecting them.

Cleaning in the factory is carried out in several stages. The filtered substances are recycled in new production facilities. For example, amyl alcohol is widely used in the manufacture of sweets and dairy products.

Properties of substances

Impurities have many shades. The selected raw materials and fermentation method determine their further properties. The volume of raw alcohol during cleaning leaves 0.3-0.7%

Physical Features

More than 40 chemical compounds have been found in the composition of fusel oils. The composition always changes depending on the quality of the raw materials and the chosen cleaning method. The first group includes substances such as acetic-butyric ester, acetone, acetaldehyde. The second group of substances consists of dangerous impurities that carry poison, propyl, amyl alcohols, furfural and others. The boiling point of fusel oils from the first group is lower than 78.4°C, from the second group it is higher than 78.4°C.

The most dangerous and toxic substance of the constituents is isoamyl alcohol (formula C5H4OH), the density of which is more than 60% of the total composition. The volume of impurities varies from 830 to 840 g/l at 20°C. Contact with a concentrated substance on the skin causes severe burns, and ingestion can be fatal.

Chemical Features

The main components of fusel oils are monohydric alcohols, in particular isoamyl alcohol, an extremely toxic substance that can cause serious poisoning. In addition, aliphatic aldehydes are visible in their composition. Many substances are capable of converting to alcohol. So, isoamyl alcohols are formed from leucine. The properties of converted alcohols can have a negative impact on a person, provoking dangerous conditions.

Fusel oils in alcohol

A large accumulation of fusel impurities in alcohol can lead to serious intoxication of the body, to the destruction of the brain, liver and pancreas. This will happen with the systematic use of alcohol with large accumulations of harmful compounds. Irregular and small amounts of drinking alcohol should not lead to such devastating consequences. However, the condition for well-being is alcohol, made in compliance with purification technologies.

Harm of fusel oils

At their core, impurities are dangerous poisons for humans that can have an irreparable effect on all body systems. A certain amount of the substance is certainly contained in any alcohol, even beer can boast of the content of dangerous aldehydes. And vodka goes through several stages of purification and only then contains fewer harmful substances. The amount of oil impurities depends on the processing methods and the use of filtration membranes. But only compliance with drinking standards will help to avoid the negative effects of fusel oils on the human body.

The toxicity of fusel oils has long been proven, signs of a negative impact can be damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, skin irritation, eczema, dermatitis, toxicodermia, and cause severe headaches. But, despite the obvious harm that fusel sediment causes in large quantities, there are benefits from it.

Benefits of impurities

It is quite difficult to say exactly which impurities are beneficial to the body. But a number of compounds in various alcoholic beverages reduce the level of intoxication when drinking alcohol, preparing the liver for the intake of alcohol (creating a protective "film" for hepatocytes). This allows the body to independently process the breakdown products of alcohol.

Among other things, fusel oils allow you to:

significantly improve the taste, color and smell of the drink;
reduce the strength of the drink.

Even such elite drinks as cognac or whiskey, made in accordance with GOST, cannot boast of the absence of impurities. Regardless of the method of production, fusel oils are present in such a drink in an acceptable concentration to ensure the qualities that gourmets are waiting for.

There are also fusel oils in wine. Although according to the rules, this grape alcoholic drink should ferment naturally, without the addition of products that accelerate this process. In the fermentation stage, substances are produced that saturate the drink with a unique taste. The wine gets its aroma and "bouquet" depending on the method of processing.

There is a table of fusel oils in alcohol, which clearly shows what is the content of substances in certain products of the alcohol industry:

From the above table it can be seen that the aldehyde component is present in all popular alcoholic beverages. At the same time, the greatest amount of impurities is present in elite expensive alcoholic products. Therefore, the harm and benefits of fusel oils are very relative concepts. Each person will find their pros and cons in them.

Any self-respecting manufacturer of alcohol-containing products tries to clean in such a way as to remove dangerous and toxic compounds, while leaving harmless fusel oils that give the drink its own taste. Therefore, alcohol production technologies are completely different.

Fusel oils in moonshine

The opinion that oily impurities tend only to poison a person is not true. Fusel oils in moonshine, as noted by professionals in the preparation of high-quality moonshine, are an important component of mash, its taste, color and smell will be neutral or unpleasant without impurities. They set the strength of the drink and control the hangover.

Moonshine, prepared according to all the rules and carefully cleaned of hazardous compounds, can be safe for humans. The condition for the positive effect of the drink on the body is small doses of consumption and proper preparation of the product. Abuse of the drink can cause symptoms of poisoning. The harm and benefits of fusel oils in moonshine have long been proven, the main rule is the observance of dosages.

Folk methods for cleaning moonshine include filtering:

with the help of chicken egg protein;
activated carbon or potassium permanganate;
bread.

Technological progress does not stand still, and today there are a number of devices that can separate the drink from substances hazardous to health. For example, dryer. In the process of boiling the mash, evaporation removes harmful impurities from the moonshine. The mash vapors are passed through the steamer, leaving a residue in the form of harmful oils on its walls.

A bubbler is a device that protects the finished moonshine from food poisons. With intense boiling, drops of unprocessed moonshine will evaporate and can again get into the finished alcohol, filling it with dangerous impurities. The device helps to control the boiling temperature in the machine.

The rectifier is also able to purify moonshine from harmful substances. An expensive purchase will allow you to get pure filtered alcohol at home. The device will pay for itself in the shortest possible time.

Since ancient times, freezing has been used to filter moonshine. As a result of freezing, the water with harmful impurities contained in the moonshine will separate from the drink, and all that remains is to drain the moonshine into a separate container. The temperature for this method should be approximately -20-22°C.

An ordinary home filter can be a way to clean moonshine. It is good in cases where you do not want to waste time on other methods. The alkali or charcoal contained inside can give the drink transparency and remove unwanted impurities.

Not every specialist in alcoholic beverages is able to immediately determine the presence of one or another amount of impurities in the product. At first glance, one can only judge the shade of an alcoholic drink, having tried it - about its taste and smell, respectively, and about the quality of the product. If the drink is cloudy and has an unpleasant odor, it is better not to try it.

Distillate

Moonshine is obtained in the process of evaporating pure ethyl alcohol from mash. The resulting distillate is necessarily distilled several times to obtain the purest products.

After the first distillation, home winemakers get raw alcohol, which contains a lot of harmful and toxic impurities. They are eliminated during subsequent distillations.

At the output of the distillation technology, alcohol with a strength of 89-93% is obtained. For oral use, this product is diluted with water up to 40-45%.

Rectified

This technology is based on the production of ethanol of the highest strength - up to 96% (it is simply unrealistic to get more on your own). Alcohol obtained after the first distillation (raw alcohol) is used for rectification.

In the process of this production from raw alcohol, all harmful suspensions are also removed - head / tail fractions. That is, a more accurate separation of toxins and toxic compounds into light / heavy residues is formed.

How does rectification work?

All of these methods can be used repeatedly. Home producers of alcohol achieve the best purification of the original raw alcohol from harmful and low-boiling toxic compounds.

What is moonshine made from?

Homemade strong alcohol is distinguished by its richness and variety of composition. From what just do not make moonshine! He might be:

berry;
grain;
plum;
sugar;
mountain ash;
fruit;
corn;
wheat;
beet;
grape;
potato;
fruit and berry;
blended (mixed);
cane (from cane sugar).

In addition to the main type of raw material, yeast, purified water and candied starch are used to make moonshine. Absolutely from any type of food raw materials you can get moonshine of excellent quality.

It is only necessary to monitor the literacy of the technological process. And also so that the brew for primary distillation does not have too much toxic and dangerous impurities. .

Moonshine in different countries

Moonshine is a tradition of many countries that are completely different in their culture and worldview. Moreover, each district cultivates its own distinctive strong drink. The following types of moonshine are distinguished:

Moldova: Rachiu;
Hungary: Palinka;
Lithuania: Samogonas;
USA: Chicha casera;
Finland: Pontikka;
Belarus: Garelka;
UK: Moonshine;
Abkhazia, Georgia: chacha;
France: Tord-boyaux;
Poland: Samogon or Bimber;
Germany: Schwarzgebranntes.

What harmful substances does homemade vodka contain?

The chemical composition of moonshine includes groups of monohydric alcohol compounds. Experts gave this grouping the code name "fusel oils". The composition of fusel oils is such that these substances have high boiling points. All fusel oils are potentially hazardous to human health.

What are fusel oils

With the technology of distillation of mash in order to purify moonshine from fusel oils, the method of rectification is the most effective.

In the production of homemade vodka, one should be extremely responsible and not deviate from the given technology. It is very important that in the chem. the composition of moonshine included a minimum of harmful compounds. And for this you should:

Use only high quality raw materials.
Do not regret and get rid of primary and residual distillations.

Only in this case it is possible to get rid of the presence of “fuel oil”, esters and aldehydes in the moonshine. It is these compounds that provoke various diseases of internal systems and mental health problems in a person.

Fusel oils in moonshine: harm or benefit

Connoisseurs moonshiners call "sivukha" "the soul of home-made alcohol." After all, it is “sivuha” that sets the strength, aroma, color and taste of moonshine. It also affects the strength of a possible hangover. People who are ignorant of moonshine believe that the presence of fusel oils in moonshine is undesirable - these compounds spoil the whole taste and have a detrimental effect on well-being.

The concentration of fusel oils directly affects the degree of hangover

But in reality, not everything is so clear. In the vast majority of cases, "sivuha" is simply vital to moonshine. And well-organized technological cleaning helps to get rid of possible negative consequences.

Fusel oils have an oily form. Their color varies from straw to reddish-brown, and the smell is rather repulsive.

"Sivukha" is formed as a result of distillation and alcoholic fermentation of the raw materials used for moonshine. These substances are also contained in any kind of alcoholic products (the purest rectified alcohol becomes an exception). You can see for yourself what a "sivuha" is. Just set fire to the unrefined moonshine in a spoon. The resulting residue of combustion, a foul-smelling substance, is the same fusel oil.

The composition of "sivukha" includes about 40-45 compounds. Experts conditionally divide them into two types:

Liquids with a boiling point lower than this indicator of ethanol (up to +78.4⁰С). These include acetaldehyde, butyric acetic ester and acetone.
Substances whose boiling point is higher than that of ethanol (from + 78.4⁰ C). This subgroup includes acetyl, alcohols (isopropyl, isobutyl, isoamyl and amyl).

Isoamyl alcohol (its chemical formula is C5H4OH) is considered to be the most dangerous component of "fussy". It contains about 60-65% of all fusel oils. If this substance in a concentrated form is on the skin, the affected area first itches and turns red, then becomes covered with a blistering rash. Various factors influence the concentration and multicomponent composition of "fusel oil":

quality of raw materials;
temperature regime of fermentation;
type of yeast used in moonshine brewing;
direct technology for the production of moonshine.

Fusel oils are present in every type of alcohol. In terms of purification, vodka is the cleanest and whiskey is the dirtiest. For instance:

But the problem lies in the fact that "sivuha" directly affects the taste sensations and characteristic individual properties (features) of alcohol. Without fusel oils, the same whiskey, cognac will simply become ordinary alcohol diluted with water, and the aroma and taste of beer / wine are deformed beyond recognition.

But the excess of "fusel" can not be called harmless to human health. What to do? Use only high-quality raw materials and do not violate all technological procedures for cleaning the mash.

Is moonshine useful

In principle, moonshine (good and clean), like any other high-quality alcohol and in small doses, brings calm to a person, with a simultaneous vasodilating effect. This is the usefulness of homemade vodka. Moonshine is able to mobilize the internal forces of the body so that the immune system adequately repels the blow of various viruses.

There are other arguments that speak in favor of a good home-brew. These are the following situations:

When buying alcohol, you can run into a surrogate and get poisoned by it.
Moonshine made at home is much cleaner and better than purchased vodka.
The entire technological process is strictly controlled. The cost of moonshine, even after the “cutting off” of the head / tail fractions, is much lower.

Summing up

As in most cases, the truth between the harm and usefulness of moonshine is located in the middle of two opposing sides. No one argues or denies that moonshine, like any drink containing ethyl alcohol, is harmful and detrimental to health.

But, with responsibility and strict observance of all technological conditions and quality control of home products with a composition (according to the content of fusel oils there), everything will be fine. Then 1-2 glasses of your “native” moonshine once a week will not only become harmless, but even beneficial to health.

Hello!

I have been writing this article for a very long time. It is dedicated to one of the most important topics in the production of alcoholic beverages. We all know that heads, tails and fusel oils are harmful and spoil the taste of moonshine. But what lies behind these concepts? Do you know what the finished mash contains over 70 volatile substances!? Some of them are the strongest poisons, but at the same time they have a pleasant floral or bready aroma.

This article provides information, the knowledge and understanding of which allows you to move on and improve in the production of homemade alcohol.

It is worth adding that in the process of studying the materials for this article, my view of such a process as fractional distillation has changed significantly.

In this article I will tell you what mash consists of, what groups of impurities it contains, what they are formed from and which of them are the most harmful. And most importantly, how these impurities behave during the distillation process.

I will also give a very interesting table, with a description of specific impurities and why they are formed and how they affect the taste and smell of the drink.

The composition of mature (ready) mash

Ready mash consists of many different components that are in three phases - liquid, solid and gaseous.

The solid phase (4-10% by weight of the mash) is a suspension of yeast and particles of the feedstock, as well as minerals, sugar, proteins, and other elements that are not dissolved in the liquid and remain in the distillation cube after distillation.
The gaseous phase is carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the yeast. Content - 1-1.5 g / l.
The liquid phase is water (from 82 to 90 wt.%) and ethyl alcohol with volatile impurities (from 5 to 9 wt.%).

We, in the context of this article, are most interested in these same volatile substances that accompany ethyl alcohol. There are over 70 items in Braga!

But, despite such a wide variety, their total amount is only 0.5-1% of the volume of ethyl alcohol. At the same time, even such an insignificant content of impurities significantly affects the taste and smell of the final product.

The diagram below shows the approximate composition of the finished mash and alcohol impurities.

Volatile components in mature mash can be divided into four main groups: alcohols, esters, aldehydes and acids.

In the following sections, I will look at each group individually.

Alcohols

They are derivatives of hydrocarbons containing one or more hydroxyl groups (OH). According to the number of hydroxyl groups contained in the molecule, alcohols are monoatomic (with one OH), diatomic (two OH), trihydric and polyhydric.

Braga contains monohydric alcohols and only one representative of trihydric alcohols - glycerin (it is non-volatile).

Monohydric alcohols have the general formula СnH2n+1OH.

According to the value of n, alcohols are divided into:

The lower ones are methyl (methanol) CH3OH; ethyl (ethanol) C2H5OH; propyl C3H7OH and isopropyl C₃H₈O.

Almost all lower alcohols have a pronounced "alcoholic" smell. They mix well with water in any proportion.

Medium alcohols

Butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl - the general formula is C4H9OH. Amyl - Amyl, isoamyl, etc. The general formula is C5H11OH.

Butyl alcohols smell like alcohol. Tert-butyl smells pleasantly of camphor. Isoamyl smells strongly of "fussy"

Higher alcohols: hexyl (C6H14O), heptyl (C7H15OH), octyl (C8H17OH), nonyl (C9H19OH), etc.

Alcohols are the largest group of impurities - from 0.4 to 0.6% of the ethanol content. Alcohols with carbon atoms from C3 to C10 form fusel oils. They are called oils because they are poorly soluble in water and have an oily appearance. The basis of fusel oil is isoamyl (60-90%), isobutyl (8-27%) and propyl (3-20%) alcohols.

All alcohols, including ethyl alcohol, are poisons. The most dangerous of these is methanol. It is 80 times more toxic than ethyl! Taking only 10-15 ml of methyl alcohol leads to severe poisoning, loss of vision and, in most cases, death. The content of methanol in the mash depends on the raw materials from which the mash is prepared. Most of all it is in distillates from stone fruits - 3-4%. In sugar moonshine, methyl alcohol is absent (or rather, it happens there, but in very small quantities).

Also, isoamyl alcohol is more dangerous. It is poorly soluble in water, has a characteristic smell of "fussy" and is well felt in moonshine. But it is most of all in fusel oils!

Aldehydes

Aldehydes are the oxidation products of alcohols, in the molecules of which the COH group is present.

All aldehydes are poisons. The most dangerous is furfural. It is 80 times more toxic than ethanol! Moreover, GOST for rectified alcohol prohibits the presence of furfural, despite the fact that the presence of such a dangerous poison as methanol allows up to 0.03%. Nice smell of rye bread. It is not present in sugar mash. Most of all in acetaldehyde mash. regardless of the source material. They have a suffocating smell.

Some of the aldehydes smell unpleasant (those with 1 to 6 carbons) and some (over 6 carbons) have a pleasant floral scent.

Aldehydes have different solubility in water.

For more details about each component and how it affects the organoleptic properties of moonshine, see the table below.

acids

Braga contains volatile carboxylic acids. Acetic acid CH3COOH predominates. It is also possible the presence of pelargonic, capric, caprylic and other acids. Their presence depends on the raw material used. Acids boil at temperatures above 100 C. They dissolve differently in water. Most acids adversely affect the organoleptic qualities of moonshine - they give an unpleasant odor and bitterness. Acetic acid, on the contrary, softens the taste of alcohol.

For more details about each component and how it affects the organoleptic properties of moonshine, see the table below.

Ethers

Occurs when alcohols and acids interact. There are simple and complex. In mash obtained from any feedstock, acetic-ethyl ester is present in the largest amount.

Enanth esters are released from wine yeast during distillation.

Esters appear not only during fermentation and distillation, but are also introduced along with the raw materials from which the wort is prepared. Grape mash is very rich in these substances.

Esters have a pleasant floral or fruity aroma.

Table of impurities contained in Braga

Below is a table with a list of the main impurities associated with ethyl alcohol. It also indicates from what these components are formed and how they affect the organoleptics of moonshine.

The contraction of software is the threshold of sensation. Lines with elements negatively affecting the taste properties of the distillate are highlighted in red, positively in green. At first I wanted to arrange them as the boiling point increased, but then I realized that this was pointless. Why? Read the next section.

The table will enlarge if you click on it.

Table continuation. The picture is also clickable

Heads, tails and intermediate impurities

It is customary to divide the distillate into three fractions - heads, body and tails. Since you have reached this article, it means that you already know this well, but I will still remind you.

Heads go first. These are mainly esters and aldehydes, so the heads are also called the ether-aldehyde fraction (EAF). They have a pungent odor. It is widely believed that the heads are impurities that have a boiling point below ethyl alcohol. Actually it is not.
The body is a fraction consisting predominantly of ethyl alcohol. Exactly what we drink.
Tails. Go at the end and have an unpleasant smell.

If everything were so simple, then we would pour into the sink everything that comes from the cube to the boiling point of ethyl alcohol, take it away and stop the distillation when the temperature exceeds 78.15 degrees. But there are two big BUTs (the second BUT is the biggest one):

All impurities begin to evaporate long before their boiling point. Tail fractions are present both in the heads and in the body, only in much smaller quantities. For example, water is present in large quantities in the distillate, although we never drive moonshine to 100 degrees cubed.
In a multicomponent mixture, the boiling point of an individual impurity fades into the background. The main role here is played by the evaporation coefficient of a particular impurity. Moreover, this coefficient is not constant and depends on the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the mixture. In other words, the same component (say, methyl alcohol) under different conditions can be both the head and tail fractions.

Summing up, we can say that there are head fractions that always come before ethanol, for example, acetaldehyde. There are tailings, such as furfural. And there are impurities whose behavior depends on the concentration of alcohol in the mixture. These factions are called intermediate.

I would like to note that such behavior is very unpleasant for us. It turns out that we selected the heads, changed the receiving container and proceeded to the selection of the body. After some time, the strength of the raw alcohol changed and some kind of muck, which, according to our ideas, should go in the tails for the most part, crawls forward and begins to go into the receiving container.

A typical representative of intermediate impurities is isoamyl alcohol, which is the basis of fusel oil.

This topic is very serious and deserves a separate article. I will write it in the near future.

Update from 07/16/17: The article on intermediate impurities is ready.

conclusions

The composition and amount of impurities in mash from different raw materials is different.
In sugar mash, there are almost no such potent poisons as methanol and furfural. The most dangerous here are acetaldehydes and isoamylol. At the same time, there are practically no components that positively affect the organoleptic. Therefore, boldly clean raw oil painting And coal.
Esters are present in grain and fruit and berry mashes, which give the drink high taste qualities. Such ethers must be passed into the distillate during distillation, while not letting in harmful impurities that spoil the organoleptic. This requires the development of a specific distillation process and skills acquired through experience.
The composition and quantity of impurities is affected by the quality of the feedstock, the process of fermentation and distillation. This once again confirms the already established rules - we introduce yeast nutrition, we provide optimal and constant fermentation temperature, comfortable hydromodule. We clarify sugar mash before distillation, preferably bentonite. We carry out the first stage as quickly as possible.
Perhaps the most important conclusion- the order and concentration of the release of some components from mash or raw alcohol does not depend directly on the boiling point of these impurities, but is characterized by an evaporation coefficient that depends on the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the mixture. The head fractions can go in the tails, and the tails in the heads. Moreover, the component can change its behavior during the distillation process as the ethanol evaporates.

Conclusion

Here are the conclusions I came to. This is just an introductory article that leaves more questions than answers.

In the future, I plan to study the issue of evaporation coefficient in more detail.

Processes of distillation of mash from various raw materials. Of course, the preparation of grain and fruit distillates is a kind of art that cannot be taught. But I think it is possible to develop some general recommendations. More precisely, they probably already exist - a huge amount of specialized literature has been released and there is a lot of useful, albeit scattered, information on the forums. It remains only to study it, group it and put it on the blog. Nothing at all

I hope this article will give rise to a very interesting series - I would like to study the composition of mash made from various raw materials and determine some general rules for their distillation.

P.S. I would love to hear the comments of people who understand chemistry. Maybe someone will add something or correct me.

Bye everyone!

Fusel oils are considered the "soul" of alcoholic beverages. It is they that affect the taste characteristics of the product, the smell, as well as the strength of the hangover. Most moonshiners are sure that fusel oils are unhealthy, they have a bad effect on the taste of an alcoholic product. However, one cannot say that they are completely unnecessary, their presence is important in the preparation of moonshine. In order for them not to negatively affect health, after distillation, home-brewed moonshine must be cleaned of fusel oils, which fundamentally solves all problems.

Fusel oils are a peculiar composition of toxic substances that have an oily base, a light yellow or red color, and an unpleasant odor. It is he who is in most cases a side effect in the preparation of moonshine. Such a smell is necessarily present in homemade moonshine only in different quantities.

Getting fusel oils is easy. They take moonshine, pour it into a spoon and set it on fire. What remains after combustion will be nothing more than fusel oils that have an unpleasant odor. In the people, such a liquid is called "sivukha".

In the production of alcoholic products not at home, but on an industrial scale, fusel oils are collected and used to produce amyl alcohol, which is used as a solvent in the dairy and confectionery industries. Fusel oils contain more than forty substances, which are conventionally divided into two categories. The first includes liquids that begin to boil at lower temperatures than alcohol (acetic-butyric ester, acetone, and also acetaldehyde). The second category includes substances with a boiling point above 78.4 degrees (isopropyl, propyl, isoamyl, amyl, furfural, isobutyl alcohols, acetyl, and other toxic compounds).

The most dangerous for human health is isoamyl alcohol, which makes up almost 60% of the total amount of fusel oil. Even getting on the skin, it causes severe trouble, which first manifests itself in the form of redness, itching, then blisters.

The benefits and harms of fusel oils

The concentration of fusel oils directly depends on the raw materials used, yeast, the temperature at which fermentation takes place, as well as the selected technological process. In this regard, vodka is considered the best product, while whiskey belongs to the category of poorly refined.

The organoleptic properties of alcoholic beverages appear only thanks to fusel oils. Without their presence, neither cognac nor whiskey could have such properties, but would simply turn into alcohol diluted with water. Wine and beer would have a taste that was unlikely to appeal to lovers of alcoholic beverages. But it should also be taken into account that a large concentration of fuselage leads to severe intoxication of the body, which subsequently causes poisoning or a hangover.

It is impossible to judge the harm or any benefit of fusel oils unambiguously, it all depends on their concentration and composition. That is why most spirits producers try to purify the product, removing the most harmful impurities, leaving only harmless ones.

Technological processes for the production of wine, beer, vodka, cognac, whiskey and other alcoholic products are seriously different from each other, and their quality largely depends on the methods used, leading to the purification of an alcoholic product.

You can not compare one alcoholic product with another. For example, whiskey contains four hundred times more fusel oils than vodka, but with proper purification, even this amount will be harmless to human health. Only the quality of the same drink from different manufacturers is compared.

Interestingly, addiction to different alcoholic products is different. It is easier to get used to vodka and become alcoholics than to cognac. This was explained by Professor V.P. Nuzhny. on the basis of the conducted research. The purer ethyl alcohol, the greater the danger it poses to humans, and also causes rapid addiction.

You can clean home-made moonshine from fusel oils even in the most ordinary home conditions, while beer and wine will lose their taste qualities a little. The only solution to this problem is to use high quality raw materials, as well as strict adherence to the technological process.

Wine, obtained on the basis of Isabella grapes, contains a sufficient amount of hydrocyanic acid, so it should be consumed only in small portions. It should not be mixed with other wines.

Distillates derived from sugar, any fruit, commercial or homemade malt are well refined. Fusel oils from fruit moonshine are well removed during repeated distillation, while it is imperative to observe the division of the resulting product into fractions.

Essential oils in moonshine harm or benefit. How to clean homemade moonshine from fusel oils