50 VINEGAR. CIDER, AND FRUIT-WINES. 



CHAPTER V. 



METHODS OF FABRICATION OF VINEGAR. 



THE fabrication of vinegar from wine is undoubtedly the 

 oldest and most simple method known, since it is only necessary 

 to leave the wine to itself at a sufficiently high temperature to 

 find it within a certain time converted into vinegar. A similar 

 process takes place in all fermented fruit juices resembling wine. 



It would, therefore, seem proper to commence the description 

 of the various methods of fabrication of vinegar with this simple 

 process, but for reasons of an entirely practical nature it has 

 been concluded not to do so. 



Since alcoholic fluids directly formed by the vinous fermenta- 

 tion of sacchariferous plant juices possess the property of chang- 

 ing under circumstances favorable to acetous fermentation into 

 vinegar, it is evident that the latter can be prepared from them, 

 and, in fact, it is possible to prepare it from all sweet fruits and 

 parts of plants, such as cherries, strawberries, figs, bananas, etc., 

 as well as from the juice of the sugar-cane, beet, chicory root, etc. 



Honey, which represents a concentrated solution of ferment- 

 able sugar, as well as crystallized cane sugar, can likewise be in- 

 directly used for the preparation of vinegar, since solutions of 

 either can be brought into vinous fermentation and the resulting 

 alcohol converted into acetic acid. 



By malting grain a peculiar body called diastase is formed, 

 which possesses the property of converting starch into ferment- 

 able sugar, and upon this fact is based the manufacture of beer 

 and alcohol. In an indirect manner (the starch having to be 

 converted first into sugar, and the latter into alcohol) it is, there- 

 fore, possible to prepare vinegar from every substance containing 

 starch, and for this reason we can speak of grain and malt 

 vinegars. The beer prepared from the malt containing already 



