Vodka Production

Vodka Production (edited by Ayan Santra)

1. VodkaProduction by Ayan Santra

2. intro Vodka is an alcoholic drink that has international recognition. It is distilled from fermented grain or vegetable at a high proof. Undiluted vodka has a very high proof of about 145, which means that it has over 70% of alcohol.

3. Ingredients There are several ingredients that are used in the process of making vodka. The raw materials used are: Grains or vegetables Yeast Malt meal Water Flavorings

4. Preparation of the Mash Unlike in the past, modern technologies have been invented and all the grains or vegetables are loaded into automatic mash tub machines. As the tub starts to rotate, the raw materials are broken down, and then grounded malt meal is added so as to facilitate the conversion of the starch to sugar

5. Inoculation and Sterilization This is an essential stage as it will prevent the growth of bacteria. The sterilization is carried out by heating the mash of the boiling point. yeast are added to mash so as to facilitate the fermentation by increasing the acidity levels. As soon as the desired acidity level is achieved, the mash is inoculated.

6. Fermentation Process The sterilized mash is now poured into stainless steel vats, and the yeast is added before the vats are sealed. This is left for a period of 2 to 4 days, and the yeast enzymes will convert the sugars in the mash to ethyl alcohol.

7. Distillation and Modification The ethyl alcohol produced is in a liquid state and is pumped into large stainless steel columns that have vaporization chambers on The alcohol is heated with steam while being cycled up and down to produce vapors, which are condensed. All impurities are removed at this stage

8. Adding Water The vapors are concentrated and record alcohol levels of 95-100%, which is a very high proof of about 190. This is quite toxic, and in order to make the vodka drinkable, water is added so as to lower the proof to about 80, which translates to 40% alcohol content.

9. Bottling Finally, the alcoholic beverages are stored in glass bottles. Glass is non-reactive and will not interfere with the chemical composition of vodka. In most distilleries, the bottling process entails cleaning, filling up, capping and then sealing.

10. references www.google.com