What is fusel oil

Fusel oils are called a by-product of fermentation. They are contained as an impurity in raw alcohol and have a very unpleasant characteristic odor. They represent an oily liquid, which can have a color from light yellow to reddish-brown. The main constituent of this substance is alcohols C3-C9, as well as aldehydes, furfunol and fatty acids. Aldehydes and saturated alcohols appear in the process of metabolizing yeast amino acids. Fusel oils are present, for example, in beer, as well as in home-brewed, in rather large quantities.

At home preparation of drinks with a high alcohol content, the problem of these impurities is quite acute. Distillation of moonshine is made using special equipment. Pre-prepared braga. Then it heats up to a high temperature. As a result, alcohol vapors start to be released. Upon cooling, the latter condense and drain into a previously prepared container.

During distillation, it is very important to observe the heating mode. Light impurities contained in the brew start to boil at a temperature of about 68 degrees. Further, at a temperature in 78 ^o C, intensive evaporation of ethyl alcohol occurs . With subsequent heating to 85 ^° C, the unwanted fusel oils themselves begin to separate from the initial product.

Therefore, it is believed that the faster the heating occurs in the brewing apparatus, the more efficient its work. When distilled at a temperature of up to 78 ° C, the so-called pervach is obtained, which contains a lot of harmful light impurities. Take such a product inside, and also use it for external use, for example, in colognes or lotions, in any case not. When the initial product reaches a temperature of 78 ^o C. it is necessary to reduce the intensity of heating. Otherwise, there may be a blowout of the barge. With subsequent heating, the actual process of forcing out moonshine itself actually occurs.

At this stage you need to be extremely careful. First, it is necessary to carefully check that the temperature of the brew does not rise above 83 ° C. Otherwise, as already mentioned above, fusel oils will start to be released from it. Secondly, at this stage evaporation of ethyl alcohol occurs, as a result of which its content in the brew gradually decreases.

In the end, the minimum quantity remains in the original product, which can be extracted only at a higher temperature. However, the quality of moonshine will drop dramatically, as it will increase the content of harmful substances such as fusel oils. Consequently, after reaching a temperature of 85 ° C, the distillation must be stopped. The number of vapors of ether alcohol can be checked in a simple way. To do this, in the resulting moonshine, wet the paper and set it on fire. If it burns with a blue flame, the alcohol is still in sufficient quantities. If the paper does not light up, it means that its quantity is small. In this case, the process can be continued only for subsequent mixing with brag and re-distillation.

In the future, the resulting moonshine can be further purified to remove the oils that have fallen into it. For this, a variety of methods can be used. The simplest is the purification of moonshine by potassium permanganate. To do this, it is first diluted in water. A liter of moonshine requires about 1-2 grams. The resulting solution is poured into the moonshine and left to stand for 10-12 hours. After clarification and precipitation, the liquid is filtered through a tissue.