All types of alcohol are produced only after fermentation and if you love your heady drinks then you should understand the importance of aerobic fermentation in alcohol production. Fermentation converts sugar present in the mixture of water and various types of grains, fruits or vegetables into ethanol, commonly referred to as alcohol, which is then further processed to make the desired alcoholic drink.
Ethanol fermentation can only take place when the initial mixture is infused with brewing yeast. With modernization has come specialization and you will now find various types of yeasts available in the market such as brewers yeast, distillers yeast, bakers yeast, vodka yeast, wine yeast, instant yeast, and many more. Although all types of yeast are basically unicellular fungi, these special yeasts contain specific features that result in ideal sugar fermentation at different levels of yeast temperature.
Aerobic fermentation or aerobic respiration utilizes oxygen to create energy or Adenosine Triphosphate [ATP]. In alcohol production, this process occurs in large vats or tanks. However, before actual fermentation, the process of glycolysis ensures that two molecules of pyruvate are created out of each molecule of glucose. The aerobic respiration further oxidizes the pyruvate molecules and creates even more ATP. The precise fermentation of sugar results at ideal temperature and along with the correct amount of oxygen results in the desired alcohol drinks that are then processed further to get the final product with the required strength and flavor. Fermentation itself causes the transformation of one glucose molecule into two molecules of ethanol and two molecules of carbon dioxide.
This information will be very useful to you if you do plan to make your own homebrew mash and produce small batches of alcohol or ethanol right at home. Some alcohols and spirits such as whiskey, vodka and brandy are produced after distillation process and these products require special yeast such as distillers yeast or vodka yeast that can provide the final product with a higher strength as compared to brewers yeast that can only produce alcohol up to certain proof levels.
Just as all other processes in the manufacture of ethanol or alcohol such as milling, mashing, filtering, etc are important, so is the fermentation process that needs to be monitored precisely. The aerobic respiration process should result in the formation of precise amounts of carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas depending on the final product that needs to be created. If you plan to produce alcohol at home then you should learn the importance of yeast growth, yeast temperature, and yeast fermentation so as to make the desired alcohol with the right amount of strength and acidity.
With technology moving at a rapid pace, alcohol production too has turned into a precise art. Various types of yeast are now used to manufacture different types of alcohol and spirits such as beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, etc. However, all these products enter the final process only after fermentation of sugar into the desired alcohols. It is thus very important to carefully control and monitor the aerobic fermentation process by controlling oxygen levels and temperature levels to ensure that the final product falls within the specified limits.