Raw Materials Flashcards
This deck acts as a study aid for the introduction to many of the commonly used raw materials for spirits production, as well as the basics of how those materials are prepared for distillation and production.
1
Q
A- and B-sugar are unrefined sugars which are sometimes referred to as…
A
Brown sugar as a result of their appearance.
2
Q
After starch in potatoes has been cooked and gelatinized, what happens?
A
The temperature is dropped to 64° C / 147° F and enzymes are added to convert the starch to fermentable sugar.
3
Q
What is bagasse?
A
The fibrous plant material left over after sugar cane has been pressed.
4
Q
Both the B-sugars and B-molasses have a higher level of what than the A-sugar and A-molasses?
A
Impurities
5
Q
Describe the glucose to starch to glucose process:
A
- Starch is formed when the plant bonds together glucose molecules, releasing water.
- Starch molecules are rolled into tight granules and stored in a protein net.
- The protein net is broken up by enzymes or heat (modification).
- Heat is used to unravel the starch granules to make them soluble (gelatinisation).
- Enzymes and water react with the glucoses that make up starch, breaking the bonds holding them together (enzymatic hydrolysis).
6
Q
Describe the process of kilning.
A
- Kilning is done to stop the growth of the grains
- It is achieved by raising the heat of the green malt with warm, dry air
7
Q
Does clarification remove all of the impurities in the sugar cane juice?
A
No, this process continues into the refining process.
8
Q
During what process are most varieties of malted barley created?
A
During the kilning process.
9
Q
What are exogenous enzymes?
A
Supplemental enzymes not derived from grains.
10
Q
Fermentable sugars are also known as what?
A
Simple carbohydrates.
11
Q
From what plants do distillers mostly obtain fructans?
A
Various species of agave.
12
Q
How are grains other than barley usually processed?
A
Other grains are typically milled and cooked in water before being mixed with malted barley or another source of enzymes.
13
Q
How do animals help with the growth cycle of plants?
A
Animals eat the sugar-filled fruit and then disperse the seeds through their scat.
14
Q
How do most plants store their energy?
A
In complex carbohydrates, which are sugars linked together in long trains.
15
Q
How does a distiller view fermentable sugars?
A
As the energy source to fuel yeast and alcoholic fermentation.
16
Q
How does the distiller manage the temperatures of cooking when using more than one kind of grain in a mash?
A
The grain with the highest gelatinization temperature is added first, the grain with the lowest gelatinization is added last, and the temperature is lowered during the cooking process.
17
Q
How is spoilage of raw materials typically caused?
A
Fungi or bacteria render raw material unusable, especially if it has already been affected by other animals.
This can be difficult to control as there is no easy way to keep microorganisms away from exposed sugars.
18
Q
How is starch conversion different for the distiller when comparing the use of grains to agave?
A
Distillers do not need to use enzymes with agave, they only need to cook the fructans.
19
Q
How is sucrose different to glucose and fructose?
A
Glucose and fructose are made during photosynthesis, while sucrose is made by bonding a glucose and fructose molecule together (after photosynthesis).
This is important because yeast are single-cell organisms, and the larger the molecule of sugar present, the harder it will be for them to process.
20
Q
In growing filamentous fungi, how is the fungal growth stopped once enough enzymes are created?
A
The raw material on which the fungi is growing is cooled and dried.
21
Q
How is wort drained, initially?
A
Through the solids of the mash, and before sparging.
22
Q
How is starch formed?
A
- Starch is formed in plant cells by bonding individual glucose molecules together.
- As each bond is formed a molecule of water is released.
23
Q
How quickly can black grape pomace be distilled once it reaches the distillery?
A
Immediately
24
Q
If a pina is not cooked, how else could it be processed?
A
The pina can be processed using a diffuser, which shreds it into small pieces and mixes it with hot water and sometimes a small amount of acid. This liquid is then cooked to create fermentable sugars.
25
In order to **remove** juice from fruit, what are the **two** typical steps used for processing?
1. Fruit is **crushed**
2. Fruit is **pressed**
## Footnote
*Some fruits are not pressed before fermentation, and the pulp is included with the juice.*
26
Name three styles of **Asian** distillates:
* **Baiju**
* **Shochu**
* **Soju**
27
Name two specific distilled products made from **sugar cane juice:**
**Rhum Agricole** and **Cachaça**
28
Name two types of **complex carbohydrates** that plants use to store energy.
**Starch and fructans.**
29
Once roots and shoots appear, why is it important to **constantly turn the grains**?
This stops the roots from becoming **entangled** and it also releases heat and keeps the grains at an **even temperature**.
30
Once the grains are cooked, how is the **conversion of starch** started?
The temperature is **lowered** to 64° C, and the malted barley is added.
31
What is a **pan boiler?**
Used in sugar and molasses production, a pan boiler is used in a **simple three-stage process** to create **sugar crystals.** Cane syrup is placed in the pan boiler, where it concentrates and forms into crystals (often under vacuum conditions).
32
What is **photosynthesis?**
The process by which plants **make their own sugar** from carbon dioxide and water, which is then **used for energy** to power the plant's growth.
33
**Rhum Agricole** and **Cachaça** are made from what product?
**Sugar cane juice**.
34
**Starch** and **fructans** are what?
Molecules made up of long chains of sugars - AKA **complex carbohydrates.**
35
What are **sugar seed crystals?**
In the production of sugar and molasses, these are used to act as a point around which sucrose can **crystallize**.
36
The process by which plants **make their own sugar** from carbon dioxide and water - used for energy to power the plant's growth.
**Photosynthesis**
37
The yield of what is maximized with the production of **Distillers' Malt**?
**Alcohol** (by preserving all of the enzymes and starch).
38
Today, what will a distiller **typically** use to affect starch hydrolysis in potatoes?
**Commercial enzymes.**
39
# **True / False:**
Any fruit can be used to produce a spirit.
**True**
## Footnote
*At least in theory, as long as there is a usable quantity of sugar-rich juice.*
40
# **True / False:**
Black grape pomace contains some alcohol.
**True**
## Footnote
*Because the skins are pressed after alcoholic ferment.*
41
# **True / False:**
There is alcohol in the pomace of white grapes.
**False**
## Footnote
*Because white grapes are pressed **prior to fermentation** of alcohol, the pomace will not contain any resulting alcohol.*
42
What are **endogenous enzymes**?
Enzymes that come **from the plant itself**.
43
What are needed to break up starch granules into individual glucose molecules?
**Enzymes** and **water**.
44
What are the four basic **parts of a grain**?
* **Husk** - hard outer covering
* **Bran -** made up of a number of different layers
* **Germ** - part of the grain that will grow into a new plant
* **Endosperm** - where the starch granules are stored
45
What are the names of the **starch materials** used to cultivate fungi and create a source of enzymes in China, Korea, and Japan?
* China - **qu,** which is a solid cake of material
* Korea - **nuruk**, also a solid cake
* Japan - **koji**, grown on an individual cereal grain or piece of potato
46
What are the **stages** involved in making a sugary liquid from barley, and what takes place in these stages?
1. **Malting**, in which modification takes place.
2. **Milling** and **mashing**, in which gelatinization and enzymatic hydrolysis occur.
47
What are the **three** fundamental stages of producing **Asian** distillates?
1. A raw material, usually a grain, is **steamed** to gelatinize the starch.
2. Fungi (or sometimes bacteria are used) are grown on a small amount of the starchy material, and they release amylase enzymes.
3. This material, full of enzymes, is added to the raw material where modification and enzymatic hydrolysis take place.
48
What are the **three** most widely-used fruits for producing **large-scale** spirits?
1. **Grapes**
2. **Apples**
3. **Pears**
49
What are the **three types of simple sugars** often found in fruits and sugar cane?
* **Glucose**
* **Fructose**
* **Sucrose**
50
What are the **two countries** most closely associated with spirits made from **pomace**?
**Italy** and **France.**
51
What are the **two problem areas** that a distiller may face when working with raw materials containing sugar?
**Spoilage** and **oxidation.**
52
What are the first **two products** that are created by the centrifuge in sugar production?
* **A-sugar** and
* **A-molasses**
## Footnote
*****With "A" implying the highest quality products with the fewest impurities.*
53
What are the two things **cooking** grains achieves?
1. Heat breaks up the **protein net**
2. **Gelatinisation** of the starch granules
54
What are **two ways** in which distillers can **avoid** losing their raw materials, such as delicate fruit, to **spoilage** and **oxidation**?
1. Process the raw materials as **quickly** as possible after harvesting
2. Blanket the materials under **inert gas**, such as CO2
55
What are **amylases**?
**Enzymes** required to break up starch.
56
What are **fructans**?
**Fructans** are a group of complex carbohydrates that are mostly made up of fructose.
57
What **aromas** and **flavors** might you expect to get from A- and B-sugars?
Complex **toffee** and **caramel**.
58
What can American whiskey producers use that Scottish producers **may not**?
**Exogenous enzymes**.
59
What can be one cause of **yield loss** on raw materials, such as fruit or sugar cane?
Animals eating the material.
60
What can happen if you press grape skins **too hard** when extracting juice?
Can extract **bitter**, **unpleasant** flavors.
## Footnote
*Therefore, there is often some juice and sugar left in the skins, and this can be used for fermentation into alcohol before distillation.*
61
What conditions do **filamentous fungi** need to grow?
**Warm** and **humid** conditions.
62
What **controls** starch conversion in potatoes?
**Individual cells** working cooperatively.
63
What determines the **speed** at which enzymes break down starch?
**Temperature**
## Footnote
*Enzymes are inactive when the temperature is too cold. All enzymes have an optimum temperature at which they function best.*
64
What **distilled product** is most closely associated with sugar cane?
**Rum**
65
What do all **flowering plants** produce as part of their reproductive cycle?
**Sugar-containing fruit**.
66
What do all plants need **complex carbohydrates** to be converted back into in order to access the stored energy?
**Simple sugar**, which can also be fermented easily.
67
What do most **living creatures** need?
To **consume sugars** or to consume another creature that has eaten sugars for energy.
## Footnote
*Thus almost all living creatures depend on **plants** in some way for survival.*
68
What do plants **use** to convert water and carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugar and oxygen?
**Sunlight**
69
What does **clarification** do to sugar cane juice?
**Removes** suspended solids and farm dirt before processing.
70
What does cooking **achieve** with potatoes?
It **breaks down** the potatoes' cells, which **releases** the starch.
71
What **two things** does cooking the piña achieve?
1. It **converts** fructans to sugar.
2. It **weakens** and **softens** the structures of the pina.
72
What does **milling** do to malted barley?
* **Milling** cracks open the grains, creating a grist
* **Milling** makes the starch more accessible during mashing
73
What does the **operational temperature** of the cooker depend on when processing grains?
**The type of grains used**.
## Footnote
*Starch granules in different grains have different structures, which means the optimal temperature for gelatinization varies.*
74
What does the process of **malting** do to the grain?
Malting tricks the grain into growing.
75
What grain is **most often** malted?
**Barley**
76
What happens during **mashing**?
Starch is first **gelatinized** and then undergoes **enzymatic hydrolysis**.
77
What happens to the barley grain during the **first stage** of growth?
It **swells** with water.
78
What happens with sulfur dioxide during distillation?
The aroma compounds become **concentrated** and very unpleasant during the process.
79
What has to happen to potatoes in order to **prepare** for starch conversion?
They have to be **cooked**.
80
What is a **centrifuge** used for in sugar production?
It allows for the **separation** of sugar crystals from the syrupy liquid.
81
What is achieved when **more heat** is applied during malting?
When more heat is applied, grains become **darker** in color and develop **caramel** and **nutty** flavors.
## Footnote
*Extremely high heat can create roasted, chocolate aromas but can destroy enzymes.*
82
What is **C-sugar** used for?
The **sugar seed crystals** for future refining batches.
83
What is done to sugar cane juice to kill unwanted **bacteria** or **fungi**?
It is **pasteurized**.
84
What is **enzymatic hydrolysis**?
The process of using enzymes and water to **break starch granules** into individual glucose molecules.
85
What is **gelatinization**?
Gelatinization is the process of **exposing insoluble granules of starch to water** over a period of time, so that they begin to **unravel** and become **soluble** in water. This can be sped up with the use of heat.
86
What is **inside** each grain?
An **embryonic plant** with a store of starch.
87
What is most sugar cane **juice** used for?
The production of **sugar** and **molasses**.
88
What is **one configuration of fructans** that is usually referred to in the agave spirits industry?
**Inulin**
89
What is **parallel fermentation?**
**Parallel fermentation** is when the starch-to-sugar conversion and alcoholic fermentation happen at the same time.
90
What is **pomace**?
Pomace is **grape skins** and **stems** leftover from the winemaking process.
91
What is produced **once** the water has been **evaporated** from the cane juice?
**Cane Syrup**, which is then fed into a multi-stage boiler to produce various grades of sugar and molasses.
92
What is removed during the **second stage** of sugar production?
* **B-sugar** and
* **B-molasses**
## Footnote
*After the mixture is boiled in the second pan boiler.*
93
What is the **chemical** commonly used to prevent spoilage and oxidation in fermentable fruit juices?
**Sulfur Dioxide** (SO2)
## Footnote
*Although this is most commonly used for fermented beverages, not necessarily for those destined for distillation.*
94
What is the **fibrous plant material** that is left over after the sugar cane plant has been pressed?
**Bagasse**
95
What is the first part of the process that happens when **malting**?
Repeatedly soaking in warm water, draining, and then resting the grain several times, which encourages the germ to grow.
96
What is the **first step** in the production of sugar?
**Evaporating** the water from the juice, thereby eliminating it.
97
What is the function of the **filaments** produced by filamentous fungi?
The filaments grow down through the starch, excreting large amounts of different enzymes, some of which are amylases.
## Footnote
*These enzymes can complete any modification that did not happen during cooking.*
98
What is the goal of using **filamentous enzymes**?
To create a **large amount** of enzymes.
99
What is the **key ingredient** raw materials provide for any spirits production?
**Fermentable sugars**
## Footnote
*These are used to produce a sugary liquid that can be fermented into an alcoholic base, which can then be distilled.*
100
What is the **malt of choice** in Scotland among distillers?
**Distillers' malt**
101
For barley, what is the **optimum** **temperature** for gelatinization and enzymatic hydrolysis?
Between **63º - 64º** C / **145º - 147º** F.
102
What is the **pina** on an agave plant?
The **pina** is the solid core of the plant where fructans are stored.
103
What is the primary grape used to produce **Cognac**?
**Ugni Blanc**
104
What is the **problem** if modification and enzymatic hydrolysis happen too late?
If the grains are allowed to grow too long, too much of the starch will be **consumed** by the plant, which reduces the amount of alcohol that can be made.
105
What is the **process** that plants use to make fermentable sugars?
**Photosynthesis**
106
What is the **reaction** that breaks fructans into fermentable sugars?
**Hydrolysis**
107
What is **kilned barley** referred to as?
**Malted barley**
108
What is the **risk** of waiting for the **starch to sugar conversion** to be fully complete?
There is a risk of the wort **spoiling** from unwanted yeast and bacteria.
109
What is the traditional **European** approach to convert grain starch?
**Malting**
110
What is **Distillers' malt**?
It is the **malt of choice** among most distillers: pale in color, it has had the **minimum** amount of heat that has been used to stop the grains from growing.
Widely used in Scotland and other places due to its **high level of enzymes**.
111
What is **green malt**?
**Green malt** refers to the grains as they begin to grow.
112
What is **sparging** and why is it done?
Sparging is the process of spraying the remaining husk fragments after milling with hot water at least twice. This is done to flush out any remaining starch or sugars.
113
What is **starch**?
Starch is a complex carbohydrate that is composed of glucose molecules.
114
What is **wort**?
Wort is the sweet liquid created after the starch is turned into sugar.
115
What may **control** the use of exogenous enzymes?
**Local laws**
116
What must starch be **broken down into** before it is used by an organism as a source of energy?
**Glucose**
117
What part of the raw material will oxygen readily **react with**?
The **juices** in harvested fruits and sugar cane, which can become exposed to the air, unless there are preventative measures to keep them from getting exposed.
118
What part of the sugar cane **plant** is of interest to producers, and why?
The **stem**, because it contains high concentrations of sucrose, which can be used for alcoholic fermentation.
119
What produces **amylase enzymes**?
Nearly **all** animals, bacteria, and fungi.
120
What is responsible for making the **vast majority** of all fermentable sugars?
**Plants**
121
What two ways do plants **use** sugar?
* One way is for the **growth** of the **structural** parts of the plant
* The other is to **store** the sugars, thus preserving the energy in the sugar for future needs
## Footnote
*Future Needs can include reproductive activities, such as the formation of grapes or other fruit for seed production and dispersion, or as starch in a grain that will be used for growth during the germination of that seed into a new plant.*
122
What type of **molasses** is produced in the third pan boiler?
**Blackstrap molasses** AKA C-molasses.
123
What will **Japanese** distillers use to affect starch hydrolysis, even today?
The traditional method of adding **Koji**.
124
What will the winemaker need to dispose of **after** the grapes are pressed, either for red or for white winemaking?
The **remnants** of the skins and stems of the grapes, also known as the **pomace**.
125
When are black grapes **typically pressed**?
**After** alcoholic fermentation.
126
When are most of the sugars **extracted** from the pina?
Most of the sugar is extracted when the pina is **crushed** and **milled**.
## Footnote
*This process is done to squeeze the sweet liquid from the broken-down cells and to break up other cells in order to release their contents.*
127
When are white grapes typically **pressed**?
**Before** alcoholic fermentation.
128
Starch granules **are kept in place** by?
**A protein net**
## Footnote
*This net must be broken down in order for the starch granules before they can be converted into glucose.*
129
When thinking about spirits, where can **starch** be found?
**Starch** can be found in all grains and potatoes.
130
Where does **wort** go after it has been cooled?
Immediately to the **fermentor**.
131
Where does photosynthesis take place in the plant?
In the **leaves.**
132
Where have potatoes traditionally been used to make spirits?
**Europe** and **Japan**
133
Where is the greatest **quantity** of sugar extracted during the refining process?
During the **first stage** of extraction and centrifuging.
134
Which have **fewer** impurities: A-sugar or B-sugar?
**A-sugar**
135
Which is **thicker** and **darker** in color: A-molasses or B-molasses?
**B-molasses**
136
Which three important raw materials contain **no easily fermentable sugars**, but rather **complex carbohydrates**?
* **Grains**
* **Potatoes**
* **Agaves**
137
Which type of molasses are the most **viscous** and **dark**?
**Blackstrap** / C-molasses
138
Why and when must a distiller **convert the store** of complex carbohydrates into fermentable sugars?
A distiller must do this **prior** to fermentation because yeast is unable to consume complex carbohydrates.
139
Why are glucose, fructose, and sucrose **important** for the production of many distilled spirits?
Because they **do not** have to be converted into a fermentable form for the yeast to process them to alcohol.
## Footnote
*As opposed to sugars based in a starch form that needs extra processing for the yeast.*
140
Why are the agave fibers **washed** with water?
To **maximize** the extraction of the sugars.
141
Why are white grapes typically pressed **before** alcoholic fermentation?
In order to **separate** the sugar-rich juice from the skins and other solids.
142
Why is CO2 used to protect delicate fruits and other **sugar-heavy** raw materials?
It is **heavier** than air and blankets the raw material, thus keeping it from being exposed to the oxygen in the air.
143
Why is it important for **modification** and the release of amylase enzymes to happen for kilning?
If modification and release of amylase enzymes are not complete before kilning, the protein structure may not be completely broken down, some of the starch will not be accessible, and there may not be enough enzymes to complete starch conversion.
144
When using "other grains" for distillation, why is it common for distillers to use a small percentage of **malted barley** in the mash?
Distillers use special varieties of malted barley that yield **high levels of enzymes** to ensure that conversion does not take too long.
145
Why is **oxidation** a problem for a distiller?
There can be a loss of **sugar yield** in the oxidized fruit, as well as a loss of the **flavors and aromas**.
146
Why is sugar cane juice **pasteurized**?
To **kill any unwanted** bacteria or fungi before processing.
147
Why is temperature control so important during the **mashing** process?
* If the temperature is too high during mashing, enzymes can be **destroyed**, and
* If it is too low, the process can be **slowed** down, thus slowing down production for the distiller.
148
Why may distillers want to **increase** the speed of starch conversion by using **specialty barley**?
It **decreases** the risk of spoilage.
149
Why would a distiller **not** want to use blackstrap molasses for production and distillation?
**Too many impurities**, which can lead to problems both with consistency and quality.
150
With fruits that contain very **limited amounts of juice**, what is another way to **extract** the sugar needed for fermentation?
Fruits can be **macerated** in a **neutral spirit** and then distilled.
