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Unit – II
Industrial Productions
Mr. S. N. Mendhe
Department of Microbiology,
Shri Shivaji Science and Arts
College, Chikhli
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF VINEGAR (ACETIC ACID)
 Vinegar fermentation is one of the oldest fermentation
known to man.
 It occurs naturally as an unwanted spoilage of wines.
Vinegar means the “ Sour wines” and may be defined as
a food product containing not less than 4 gm. of acetic
acid per 100 ml and in addition it posses flavor
characteristics.
COMPOSITION OF VINEGAR -
 Composition of vinegar depends on nature of raw
materials, fermentation conditions, aging & storage
process.
 Cidar vinegar contains about 4 gm. of acetic acid per 100
ml of vinegar and small amount of alcohol, glycerol,
esters, reducing sugars, pentosans, salts etc.
CLASSIFICATION –
 Vinegar may be prepared from apples, grapes, malt etc
and accordingly classified as follows –
 Cidar vinegar - The vinegar made by alcoholic and
subsequent acetous fermentation of apple juice.
 Wine vinegar - The vinegar made by alcoholic and
subsequent acetous fermentation of grape juice.
 Malt vinegar - The vinegar made by alcoholic and
subsequent acetous fermentation of barley malt or
cereals.
 Molasses vinegar / sugar vinegar - The vinegar made
by alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentation of
sugar syrup or molasses.
 Spirit vinegar / distilled vinegar - The vinegar made
by the acetous fermentation of dilute distilled alcohol.
VINEGAR PRODUCTION –
The production of vinegar requires two fermentations
 Alcoholic fermentation – This is the anaerobic fermentation
in which ethanol is produced from sugar by utilizing the
species of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
C6H12O6  2 CH3CH2OH + 2 CO2
 At the end of alcoholic fermentation, the supernatant
alcoholic broth is separated, alcohol concentration adjusted to
10 – 13 % and subjected to subsequent acetous fermentation.
 Acetous or Acetic acid Fermentation - This is the aerobic
fermentation in which ethanol is oxidized through
acetaldehyde to acetic acid by utilizing the species of
Acetobactor (bacteria).
CH3.CH2.OH + O2  CH3CHO + H2O
CH3CHO + O2  CH3COOH
MICROORGANISM USED FOR ACETOUS
FERMENTATION
 There are large no. Of bacteria that have the ability to produce
vinegar (acetic acid) in small amount from various raw
materials, but only few bacteria posses characteristic desire
for vinegar production.
 They includes various species of Acetobacter such as
Acetobacter pasteurianus, Acetobacter acetigenum,
Acetobacter orleanse etc.
 Bacterium schutenbachii or Bacterium curvum may also be
used. These acetic acid bacteria are Gm- ve, rod shaped, non-
sporulating and obligate aerobe.
METHODS OF VINEGAR PRODUCTION
 There are three methods of vinegar production
 Orleans Process (Slow Process)
 Fringe Process (Quick Process)
 Submerged Fermentation Process
ORLEANS PROCESS (SLOW PROCESS)
 This process was developed in Orleans, France for wine vinegar.
 It is still practiced on a limited scale. In this process, the
fermentation is carried out in large barrels (approx. 200 lit.
capacity).
 These barrels are provided with holes in the wall of vessel,
above the liquid layer to introduce the air.
 These holes are screened to prevent the entry of insects.
 Each barrel is filled about one third with a good grade of
vinegar, which constitutes the starter or culture and 10 to 15 lit
of wine are added.
 After weekly intervals for about 4 weeks, the same quantity of
wine is added to the barrel.
 When 5th week have passed, 10-15 lit of vinegar are withdrawn
from the barrel and the same amount wine is introduced.
 The operation may be repeated, thus becoming a slowly
continuous process.
 The Acetobacter bacteria produce considerable slime and
grow as a film on the surface of alcoholic broth.
 This film later becomes quite thick and gelatineous. This
film, which contains very large no. of bacteria is known as
“mother of vinegar”.
 This thick film unless supported on a wooden frame, it will
sink to the bottom of the barrel and may fail to produce acetic
acid under anaerobic condition.
 Therefore to prevent this, film is supported on a raft or
wooden grating.
 The oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid by this process is quite
slow, as it requires a time period of about 1 to 3 months.
 During this period other non-acetobacter bacteria becomes
active and produce lactic acid and propionic acid esters which
imparts an unique flavour and aroma to the vinegar.
 The long incubation period also allows a high loss of ethanol
through evaporation.
Seed culture AIR INLET
ALCOHOLIC WOODEN GRATING
BROTH TO SUPPORT
BACTERIAL FILM
FRINGE METHOD ( QUICK VINEGAR PROCESS )
 This process is also called as packed generator
process or trickling generator process or fringe
generator method.
 This method was developed in Germany for rapid
microbial oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid.
 The quick vinegar process makes the use of fringe
generators.
Fringe Generators:-
 The fringe generators used in this process is a large
vertical tank either open or closed at the top.
 The generators are provided with false perforated
bottom through which the air enters.
 Near the top of the generator there is a perforated top,
over, which is, arranged a rotating sprinkler or sparger.
This produces a uniform distribution of alcoholic broth.
 The space between perforated top and perforated
bottom is loosely packed with beech wood shavings,
twigs, bamboos-stick bundles or other supporting
agents.
 Below the wooden grating at the bottom of
generator is the collection chamber.
 At the very bottom, it is provided with a cock
through which product is withdrawn.
 In order to control the temp, generators are
provided with tubular cooling coils situated at the
bottom of the tank.
 The coils are connected to the sparger through a
rubber feed line.
Fig 2.7 Fringe Generator
Operation Of Generator –
 A bacterial film composed of mixed Acetobacter
species, grown on the surface of the supporting agent.
 The alcoholic broth is added to generator.
 The broth trickles down through the shavings so as to
provide contact of the alcohol with the cells and
consequent oxidation of the alcohol.
 Sterile air is introduced through the air inlet.
 The airflows freely in the beech wood shavings from
bottom to the top of the generator.
 During this process heat is generated and temp is
maintained to 320C by circulating water through tubular
cooling coils at bottom.
 The alcoholic broth is recycled through the
generator until the alcohol becomes completely
oxidized and the standard quantity (15 %) of vinegar
is obtained.
 Once satisfactory bacterial film has been
accumulated on the supporting agent, the generator
can be operated continuously for several months or
until contamination by the slime forming bacterium,
Acetobacter xylinum becomes a problem.
Further Processing Of Vinegar:-
 The vinegar produced in all methods is further
processed in following way.
1) Storage:- Vinegar is stored in barrels or tanks,
for a year or longer.
2) Aging:- Aging takes place during storage.
Aging improves flavor and clarity of vinegar.
3) Clarification:- Clarification of vinegar may
be done by using filter aids or fining agents.
4) Bottling and Pasteurization:- Clarified
vinegar filled in bottles and tightly capped with
cork to prevent entry of air.
Bottled vinegar is then pasteurized by heating
bottles at 60 to 66 0C for about 30 min.
Vinegar production  ppt