Fermentation process

This is one of the earliest and most important methods for preparing various types of alcoholic preparations. In alcoholic fermentation, cane sugar or glucose is the fermenting materials. Therefore, any natural product which contains these sugars or can be easily converted into them is a potential source of ethyl alcohol. The raw materials from the manufacture of alcohol are

a)substances containing fermentable sugars such as cane juice, beets, dates, molasses and fruits juices.

b)substances containing starch such as potatoes, rice, barley and maize.

Molasses is the cheapest source of sucrose and it forms an excellent raw material for making ethyl alcohol. Prior to world war II, the fermentation of molasses accounted for about 75% of total world production of ethyl alcohol but today hardly 10% ethyl alcohol is produced by this method (90% ethyl alcohol is produced from ethylene, i.e, synthetic method). In India, molasses is still the main source of ethyl alcohol.

The process of fermentation is the slow decomposition of complex organic compounds into simpler substances through the agency of complex nitrogenous compounds called Enzymes produced in living organisms.

Fermentation of carbohydrate given 95% alcohol and the rest 5% being water. This alcohol is called rectified spirit.