Enzymes for Distillery: Why they are The Best to Distil Alcohol?

Enzymes are essential in various industries, and their use in the alcohol industry is both interesting and important to understand. In particular, enzymes are crucial for distilling alcohol, with examples including glucoamylase and other enzymes. Overall, Enzymes play a crucial role in the alcohol industry. To better understand this topic, it's helpful to first understand some key terms.

Alcohol enzymes include glucoamylase and other enzymes, which are used to break alcohol molecules, but before we dive into the role of enzymes in the distilling process, we have to comprehend some terms like Distilling, Fermentation, microorganisms and so on.

Let's understand it in brief.

Fermentation is the process by which sugars are converted into alcohol by yeast. Yeast is a type of microorganism that consumes the sugars present in fruits or grains, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts.

For example, to make beer, malted grains (usually barley) are mashed and mixed with water to create a sugary liquid called wort. Yeast is then added to the wort and left to ferment for several days to produce beer.

Distilling is separating and concentrating the alcohol produced during fermentation by boiling and re-condensing the liquid. This is done in a device called a still, which separates the alcohol from the water and other impurities. For example, to make whiskey, the fermented grain mash is distilled in a still to produce high-proof alcohol that is then aged in oak barrels to give it its distinctive flavour.

Microorganisms, also referred to as microbes, are minuscule living things that cannot be seen with the bare eye. They consist of bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal, and algal species. They are also used in many industrial and scientific applications, such as fermentation for food and beverage production, genetic engineering, and medical research.

We hope now you have a clear idea about the above terms, so let's understand our topic in more detail.