During the distillation of the fermented fruit mash or juice, ethanol and water are the carriers of a huge number of the other volatile aroma compounds. Unique and distinctive flavour of the final spirits depends on their quantity and quality. Fruit spirits have higher concentration of almost all types of volatile compounds with comparing to other types of distilled spirits. The art of distillation run is to obtain the best balance between congeners present. Two different types of distillation equipment are used for the production of fruit spirits: copper Charentais alembic and batch distillation columns. Although both distillation methods are based on the same theoretical principles, a different quantity of the flavour compounds of the final spirits is produced by using different distillation equipment. The main difference was shown in different distributions of the methanol, n-propanol, higher alcohols and fatty acid esters. Distillation methods need to be adjusted for each fruit spirits regardless to distillation equipment employed because fermented mash of different fruit varieties has a different requirement for distilling. Alembic stills yield better aroma and more characteristic fruit distillates but are slow and require more labour. Column still cleans the distillate giving a decent aroma and higher concentration of alcohol.
Part of the book: Distillation
Bread is typically defined as being light and airy, with palatable and mild taste, and is very common in the diet of people, regardless of gender, person’s age, or socioeconomic standing. It is a typical food that supplies the majority of daily energy intake and consists mainly of carbohydrates. When it comes to food, the aroma of freshly baked bread is regarded as one of the most preferred ones. Numerous studies have been conducted on aroma of bread, and over 540 volatile components have been found. Alkaloids, aldehydes, esters, ketones, acids, pyrazines, and pyrrolines are the most significant groups in terms of quantity; furans, hydrocarbons, and lactones are also mentioned. Nevertheless, the final bread aroma is mostly determined by a very small number of these chemicals. Numerous factors, including the flour and its extraction milling rate, additional ingredients in the bread recipe, the method, regimes, and time frame for fermentation process, affect the final aroma of the bread. Since the final bread aroma is created during baking, baking conditions are equally essential to its creation. In this sense, the text states the factors that affect aroma of bread and describes their function.
Part of the book: The Science of Fermentation [Working title]