Taiwan fruit vinegar

Abstract

Vinegar has been used as a seasoning in cooking since ancient times. However, recent research has shown that, in addition to its well-known anti-bacterial activity, vinegar (when consumed as a drink) confers considerable health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, acting as an anti-oxidant, alleviating the effects of diabetes, preventing cardiovascular diseases, providing refreshment after exercise, etc. (Nishidai et al., 2000; Ogawa et al., 2000; Fushimi et al., 2001, 2002; Kondo et al., 2001; Shimoji et al., 2002; Sugiyama et al., 2003; Johnston et al., 2004). Consumers are now beginning to appreciate the health benefits of drinking vinegar. Therefore, in addition to the traditional use of vinegar products such as rice vinegar, wine vinegar and cider vinegar as a food flavouring, there is a growing demand for fruit vinegar products that are sold as a health food. The emergence of these new products has resulted in name changes from wine or cider vinegar to grape or apple vinegar, with these being categorized as fruit vinegars. Thus, there are two types of fruit vinegar products on the market: one with a high content of acetic acid which is either used as a seasoning or is diluted with 4-8 times as much water as a health drink, and another that is ready to drink as a beverage. © 2009 Springer Milan.