Firstly to measure the alcoholic graduation we need ''Alcohol by volume'' (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) of pure ethanol present in 100 mL of solution at 20 °C . The number of millilitres of pure ethanol is the mass of the ethanol divided by its density at 20 °C, which is 0.78924 g/mL. The ABV standard is used worldwide.
Secondly, it is very important the Blood alcohol content (BAC), as it is the concentration of alcohol in the blood, is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes. Blood alcohol concentration is usually expressed as a percentage of ethanol in the blood in units of mass of alcohol per volume of blood or mass of alcohol per mass of blood, depending on the country. For instance, in North America a BAC of 0.1 (0.1% or one tenth of one percent) means that there are 0.10 g of alcohol for every dL of blood.
Progressive effects of alcohol
- 0,001-0,029: Do not produce nothing for the average individual
- 0,030-0,059: Produce, sometimes euphoria, relaxation, extraversion, Joyousness
- 0,060-0,099: It produce Blunted feelings, euphoria, reduce sensivity to pain.
- 0,100-0,199: It produce over-expression, Nauseas, vomite, etc
- 0,200-299: It produce Nausea, Vomiting, Emotional swings Anger or sadness, Partial loss of understanding, Impaired sensations, Decreased libido, Possibility of stupo
- 0,300-0,399: It produce Loss of understanding, Stupor, Central nervous system depression
- 0,400-499: It produce coma and possibility of death
- +0,50: High possibility of death
Test of alcohol
It is a way easy to obtain an analysis of the alcohol concentration that is in the blood, as there is a relation with the blood and the aire that we exhaled, because contains vaporized ethanol that goes to the pulmonary alveoli during the process of metabolism.
How it's measure the level of alcohol with the alcohometric?
There are two ways of analysing with a infrared sensor or a electrochemical cell, the infrared sensor is based on the property of the gases to absorb part of the electromagnetic radiations that cross them. Focusing on the case of infrared, located within the spectrum between the visible area and the microwaves, the length more efficiently absorbed by the vaporized ethanol is 9.5 micrometers, so the technique used in the breathalyzer consists of the use of an infrared emitter coupled to filters that will eliminate all waves that are not within 9.5 micrometers, in order to avoid false negative.
Electrochemical cell
One of the most known electrochemical cells is the cell; which, as you know, is composed of two metal electrodes (the cathode and the anode) introduced into a solution known as electrolyte.
By introducing the electrodes into the electrolyte, an oxidation reaction occurs at the anode which will result in a flow of electrons traveling to the cathode, which will be reduced (the reverse reaction to oxidation) giving rise to an electric current.
Now I will explain some types of alcohol.
Vodka
Since the 1890s, the standard Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Czech vodkas are 40% alcohol by volume ABV (80 US proof), a percentage that is widely misattributed to Dmitri Mendeleev. The European Unionhas established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for any "European vodka" to be named as such. Products sold as "vodka" in the United States must have a minimum alcohol content of 40%. Even with these loose restrictions, most vodka sold contains 40% ABV. For homemade vodkas and distilled beverages referred to as "moonshine", see moonshine by country.
Production
Distilling and filtering
Electrochemical cell
One of the most known electrochemical cells is the cell; which, as you know, is composed of two metal electrodes (the cathode and the anode) introduced into a solution known as electrolyte.
By introducing the electrodes into the electrolyte, an oxidation reaction occurs at the anode which will result in a flow of electrons traveling to the cathode, which will be reduced (the reverse reaction to oxidation) giving rise to an electric current.
Now I will explain some types of alcohol.
Vodka
Since the 1890s, the standard Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Czech vodkas are 40% alcohol by volume ABV (80 US proof), a percentage that is widely misattributed to Dmitri Mendeleev. The European Unionhas established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for any "European vodka" to be named as such. Products sold as "vodka" in the United States must have a minimum alcohol content of 40%. Even with these loose restrictions, most vodka sold contains 40% ABV. For homemade vodkas and distilled beverages referred to as "moonshine", see moonshine by country.
Production
Vodka may be distilled from any starch- or sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, sugar beets and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining or wood pulp processing. In some Central European countries, such as Poland, some vodka is produced by just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and yeast. In the European Union there are talks about the standardization of vodka, and the Vodka Belt countries insist that only spirits produced from grains, potato and sugar beet molasses be allowed to be branded as "vodka", following the traditional methods of production. In the United States, many vodkas are made from 95% pure grain alcohol produced in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants Archer Daniels Midland and Midwest Grain Processors. Bottlers purchase the base spirits in bulk, then filter, dilute, distribute and market the end product under a variety of vodka brand names. Similar methods are used in other regions such as Europe.
Distilling and filtering
The master distiller is in charge of distilling the vodka and directing its filtration, which includes the removal of the "fore-shots", "heads" and "tails". These components of the distillate contain flavor compounds such as ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate (heads) as well as the fusel oils (tails) that impact the usually desired clean taste of vodka. Through numerous rounds of distillation, or the use of a fractioning still, the taste is modified and clarity is increased. In contrast, distillery process for liquors such as whiskey, rum, and baijiu allow portions of the "heads" and "tails" to remain, giving them their unique flavors.
Repeated distillation of vodka will make its ethanol level much higher than is acceptable to most end users, whether legislation determines strength limits or not. Depending on the distillation method and the technique of the stillmaster, the final filtered and distilled vodka may have as much as 95–96% ethanol. As such, most vodka is diluted with water prior to bottling.
Wine
simply put it has 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). Let’s take a look at alcohol levels are in wine from the lightest to the strongest. Truth be told, alcohol content in wine ranges wildly from as low as 5.5% to 23% ABV. There are several factors that affect the alcohol content of wine including the style of wine, quality level, and climate where the grapes grow.
PRODUCTION
To start primary fermentation yeast may be added to the must for red wine or may occur naturally as ambient yeast on the grapes or in the air. Yeast may be added to the juice for white wine. During this fermentation, which often takes between one and two weeks, the yeast converts most of the sugars in the grape juice into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is lost to the atmosphere.
After the primary fermentation of red grapes the free run wine is pumped off into tanks and the skins are pressed to extract the remaining juice and wine. The press wine is blended with the free run wine at the winemaker's discretion. The wine is kept warm and the remaining sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The next process in the making of red wine is malo-lactic conversion. This is a bacterial process which converts "crisp, green apple" malic acid to "soft, creamy" lactic acid softening the taste of the wine.
WHISKY
Most whiskies are sold at or near an alcoholic strength of 40% ABV, which is the statutory minimum in some countries, although the strength can vary, and cask-strength whisky may have as much as twice that alcohol percentage.
PRODUCTION
A still for making whisky is usually made of copper, since it removes sulfur-based compounds from the alcohol that would make it unpleasant to drink. Modern stills are made of stainless steel with copper innards (piping, for example, will be lined with copper along with copper plate inlays along still walls). The simplest standard distillation apparatus is commonly known as a pot still, consisting of a single heated chamber and a vessel to collect purified alcohol.
AGING
Whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask, so the "age" of a whisky is only the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects how much the cask has interacted with the whisky, changing its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskies that have been bottled for many years may have a rarity value, but are not "older" and not necessarily "better" than a more recent whisky that matured in wood for a similar time. After a decade or two, additional aging in a barrel does not necessarily improve a whisky.
RUM
There are no standards to categorize Rum as there are no explicit regulation for regions. For example Colombia, requires that their rums possess a minimum alcohol content of 50% ABV, while Chile and Venezuela require only a minimum of 40% ABV.
PRODUCTION
FERMENTATION:
Most rum is produced from molasses, which is made from sugarcane. A rum's quality is dependent on the quality and variety of the sugar cane that was used to create it. The sugar cane's quality depends on the soil type and climate that it was grown in. Within the Caribbean, much of this molasses is from Brazil. A notable exception is the French-speaking islands, where sugarcane juice is the preferred base ingredient. In Brazil itself, the distilled alcoholic beverage derived from cane juice is distinguished from rum and called cachaça.
Yeast and water are added to the base ingredient to start the fermentation process. While some rum producers allow wild yeasts to perform the fermentation, most use specific strains of yeast to help provide a consistent taste and predictable fermentation time.
Destilation
As with all other aspects of rum production, no standard method is used for distillation. While some producers work in batches using pot stills, most rum production is done using column still distillation. Pot still output contains more congeners than the output from column stills, so produces fuller-tasting rums.
