Alcohol Production Technology: Possible Quality Improvements

Abstract

Rectified alcohol is widely used in the food industry. Growing need for it means an increasing demand for higher-quality alcohol, which makes it competitive in the international market. One important effort to improve the quality of products consists in intensifying the processes relating to fermentation and yeast generation. This paper presents the results of researching the effects of an enzyme complex on the saccharification and yeast generation process. Research has been carried out at the Department of Fermentation Technology, North-Caucasian Mining-Metallurgical Institute (State Technical University). The following has been involved in the research: starch-containing raw materials (maize), brewing yeasts (Fermiol DY 7221), and enzyme preparations (Alfaferm 350L, Glucozyme A 400S, and Protoferm FP). Pursuant to the rules of technochemical control of alcohol production, the quality of semiproducts and final products was controlled at each stage of research. The experiment was carried out in consistence with the basic stages and parameters of alcohol production: preparing the raw materials for cooking, cooling down the cooked mass, saccharification of start by means of enzyme preparations, fermenting the sugars by means of yeasts, alcohol distillation from wort, and subsequent alcohol rectification. During the experiment, we altered the concentration of Glucozyme A 400S while the concentration of the other enzyme preparations remained unaltered. Fermentation degree is one of the main indicators of the enzymatic effects. Based on the experiments, we have found the optimal amount of Glucozyme A 400S that maximizes the output of high-quality products while reducing the duration of fermentation by 10 to 12 hours (60 hours).