A taste of ethanol
BSc Molecular Biology and Biotechnology | Stellenbosch University
A history of fermenting sugar-rich plants for making alcoholic drinks can be traced back in many cultures over the world. Today, many kinds of alcoholic beverages have varying alcohol concentrations with unique flavour profiles and are available to purchase globally. To take a broad stroke at the widely known drinks such as beer, wine, cider, and spirits – they are commonly consumed in most countries – and sometimes modified with flavours akin to the local culture. One should wonder how it is that alcohol (a liquid found in nature) has the potential to preserve, combine and release flavour types ranging from herbaceous flora to zesty fruits, and even sweets like marshmallow!
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The interaction between water and ethanol can be described by the water-ethanol matrix. The water ethanol-matrix changes significantly as solutions of alcohol move from pure water to pure ethanol. Below 15% ethanol concentration, each ethanol molecule is surrounded by water molecules to form a structure known as a “clathrate cage.” A clathrate cage structure allows ethanol to expose more aromatic compounds present in the water to the surfaces in the mouth. This explains why secondary flavours perceived to be ethanolic flavours, are released more potently at low concentrations of ethanol, as they are carried along by ethanol in the mouth-space.
Above 15% ethanol concentration, ethanol molecules clump together to form structures called “micelles,” where every water molecule has bonded to an ethanol molecule. At this level of concentration there is a distinct sharpness to the flavour of the drink, as many of these micelles do not carry any secondary flavour compounds. Now there are instances where the surfaces of your mouth interact only with ethanol, tasting it in its pure form.
Another change in the ethanol-water matrix occurs at 57% ethanol concentration. At this concentration the water molecules no longer bind to each other, and ethanol carries even fewer secondary flavours present in the solution. Most people will say that at this point the ethanol has overpowered any flavour in the beverage, describing the taste as either only bitter or only sour.
What does ethanol taste like?
Knowing that aromatic flavours are best carried by a beverage below 15% ethanol concentration, dryer alcoholic beverages become more ethanolic between ethanol concentrations of 15%-57%. This ethanolic flavour is described in some cases to be distinctly sweet. However, it is proven that evaporating ethanol from an alcohol gives it stronger fruity aroma, affecting the perception of taste to be sweeter and subtler on the palate. So, on one hand ethanol tastes sweetest above 15% concentration, but standard practice proves that beverages are sweeter at low concentrations of ethanol. This conflicting data has called scientists to understand whether ethanol has an intrinsic sweet taste to it – and if not, to find clarity on what its inherent flavour is.
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Companies such as Fruit Fusion use ethanol to amplify the flavour and to ensure that the flavours are water soluble in application. These flavours are used in yoghurts, ice-cream, iced tea, fruit juices, confectionaries and various other beverages. Ethanol is the ideal natural solvent to use for extraction of fruitiness from juices. At iSolvents we want to partner with the beverage industry to make the best quality products. We supply pure food-grade ethanol, ready for use for flavour extraction and modification. Order your ethanol now with the best service and shortest leading time in the market.
References
Cretin, B. N., Dubourdieu, D., & Marchal, A. (2018). Influence of ethanol content on sweetness and bitterness perception in dry wines. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 87, 61–66.
Scinska, A., Koros, E., Habrat, B., Kukwa, A., Kostowski, W., & Bienkowski, P. (2000). Bitter and sweet components of ethanol taste in humans. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 60(2), 199–206.
Turkucar, S.A., Dolu, O.F., Alveci, A., Burnaz, N.A., Karacelik, A.A., Dogan, H., Polat, D., Kucuk, M. (2017). Ethanol levels of the non-alcoholic beverages sold in markets in turkey. Gumushane University Journal of Health Sciences, 6(1):121-128.