Alcoholic Strength Research Articles

Dynamic compressive properties of seawater coral aggregate concrete (SCAC) reinforced with mono or hybrid fibers

Seawater coral aggregate concrete (SCAC) has shown particular advantages in controlling costs and curbing construction periods in offshore island and reef construction. However, with increasing strength of SCAC, its static and dynamic mechanical brittleness increases significantly. In this study, flexible fiber (polyvinyl alcohol fiber) and rigid fiber (steel fiber) were blended in SCAC to improve the strength, toughness, and dynamic performance of SCAC.A split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system with 75 mm diameter was used to test the dynamic mechanical response of SCAC reinforced with mono or hybrid fibers at different strain rates. The results show that the compressive stress–strain curves of SCAC demonstrated a pronounced strain rate hardening effect, and the addition of fiber significantly reduced the embrittlement at high strain rate. Particularly, the dynamic strength and DIF of mono polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber SCAC increased with quasi-static strength, but the strengthening efficiency of PVA fiber decreased at high strain rate. Hybrid PVA-steel fiber made SCAC strain rate hardening effect occurred earlier, endowing higher dynamic compressive strength and DIF. The dissipated energy densities of mono PVA fiber SCAC increased with strain rates, but the increase slowed with higher strain rates. Adding steel fiber greatly improved the dissipated energy density of SCAC, and this increase effect initially enhanced before decreasing as strain rate increased. At low and medium strain rates, hybrid fiber SCAC failure were mainly due to slippage or pullout of PVA and steel fibers. At high strain rate, PVA fiber rupture or the plastic deformation and pullout of steel fiber were responsible for the strengthening and toughening effect, which made the damage degree of hybrid fiber SCAC superior to SCAC with mono PVA fiber or without fiber.

Influence of alcoholic strength on the characteristics of Brandy de Jerez aged in Sherry Casks®

Brandy de Jerez is produced by ageing wine distillates in casks that have previously contained Sherry wine. A Criaderas and Solera system is used according to the corresponding Technical File. However, the alcohol content of the distillate that is subjected to ageing is not specified, even if this is a factor that affects both brandy quality and production costs. This paper studies the influence that alcohol content has on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of aged Brandy de Jerez. Six Criaderas and Solera systems have been characterised with alcoholic strengths between 65% and 80% ABV. The brandies with 65% ABV showed a higher concentration of the polyphenolic compounds extracted from the wood and from the wine used to season the casks, and also a higher colour intensity. In addition, these brandies were preferred by the tasters and were granted better scores for the descriptors that characterize Brandy de Jerez.

Food Preferences and Dark-side Personality Traits

This study investigated the association between a variety of taste preferences and the Dark Triad personality traits. We noted over twenty studies that linked personality to taste/beverage preference and experience. In this study just under 200 participants completed a personality and food preference questionnaire. Results demonstrated that dark side traits accounted for around ten percent of the variance in tastes, including bitter and sweet as well as alcohol and coffee strength preferences. For a number of the taste preference measures sensation seeking and harm aversive personality traits were particularly influential in determining taste preferences. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Applications of the Partial Molar Volume Concept in Whisky and Gin Dilutions with Water

The meaning of the partial molar volume, the analytical methods for finding the partial molar volumes and the additivity theorem of the partial molar volumes are explained. The additivity theorem of the partial molar volume is used for whisky alcohol strength dilutions and for single shot or multi-shots for gin in both flavor dilution with GNS and alcohol strength dilution.

Factors Associated with Adolescents' Support for Product Information and Health Messaging on Alcohol Packaging: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom.

Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. The World Health Organization recommends alcohol product labelling to inform consumers about product information and health risks associated with alcohol use. This study investigates support for product information and health messaging on alcohol packaging among UK adolescents. The 2019 UK Youth Alcohol Policy Survey was an online cross-sectional survey among 3388 adolescents aged 11-19. Participants indicated their support for seven forms of messaging on packaging (e.g. number of alcohol units, links to health conditions). Logistic regression models investigated associations between support for each of the seven forms and alcohol use, perceived risks of alcohol use, and previous exposure to messaging. Between 60 and 79% of adolescents were supportive of different aspects of product labelling. Compared to lower-risk drinkers, higher-risk drinkers (AUDIT-C 5+) had higher odds of supporting including the number of alcohol units (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.31-2.54), calories (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04-1.68), and strength of the product (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.19-2.52) but lower odds of supporting including information on alcohol-related health conditions (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53-0.87). Adolescents who perceived risks of alcohol use more strongly were more likely to support all forms of product information and messaging. The majority of adolescents supported improved alcohol labelling. Higher-risk drinkers were supportive of improved product information but less supportive of health-related messaging. Adolescents who believe alcohol carries health risks were more likely to support messaging.

Strain-hardening fiber reinforced polymer concrete with a low carbon footprint

Epoxy resin, fly ash, and silica sand were used to produce polymer concrete reinforced with glass, carbon, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and high strength steel micro-fibers. The effects of two resin contents: 15% and 18%, and two curing regimes: ambient and heat were assessed. Their compressive strength, permeable porosity, and uniaxial tensile stress–strain behavior were studied. The compressive strength of 15% and 18% polymer concrete were 48–62 MPa and 61–74 MPa respectively. The porosity of all types of polymer concretes was less than 1%, except 15%-PVA and 15%-glass fiber reinforced polymer concrete. Under uniaxial tensile loading, glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer concrete portrayed a sudden brittle failure resulting from complete fiber rupture, whereas PVA and steel fiber reinforced polymer concrete demonstrated a ductile strain-hardening response. A significantly higher tensile strength was observed when the resin content was increased from 15% to 18%, particularly for glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer concrete, whereas for PVA and steel fiber reinforced polymer concrete this improvement was small. The brittle carbon fiber reinforced polymer concrete demonstrated the highest tensile strength, whereas the ductile steel fiber reinforced polymer concrete had the highest post-crack residual strength at large strains, irrespective of the resin content. Overall, heat curing had no impact on compressive or tensile properties of any type of polymer concrete investigated.

Mechanical Pruning and Soil Organic Amending in Two Terroirs. Effects on Wine Chemical Composition and Sensory Profile

The knowledge about the interaction between mechanical pruning and soil organic amending is still scarce. This study aimed to examine the effects of the interaction between these two practices on wine quality. Syrah grapes from two trial fields in Portugal subjected to two different pruning systems (mechanical pruning; hand spur pruning) and five different organic amendment treatments (control, biochar, municipal solid waste compost, cattle manure, and sewage sludge) were harvested and vinified for four years. Mechanical pruning significantly reduced wine alcoholic strength, pH, and total anthocyanins. Mechanical pruning and organic amendments, tendentially reduced wine total phenols and tannin power, known as an “estimation of the astringency potential of the wines”. Tasters found low but significant differences in global appreciation with the pruning system. Sludge tended to reduce wine global appreciation more than municipal solid waste compost and cattle manure, while biochar had no effect on tasters’ preference when compared to the control. There was strong relation between yield and tasters’ preference only above 6 kg/vine and 8 kg/vine depending on the terroir. Mechanical pruning tendentially has significant effects on wine quality when yield raises above a certain level. Thus, with this pruning system, the choice of the organic amendment and its amount must be done considering the destiny of the produced grapes. To the best of our knowledge, effects of the interaction of mechanical pruning with soil organic amending on wine quality are a novelty.

Micro-oxygenation level as a key to explain the variation in the colour and chemical composition of wine spirits aged with chestnut wood staves

A deep knowledge of oxygenation level effect on wine spirits' ageing is imperative to understand ageing chemistry and to select the most suitable technological option towards quality and sustainability. Following two articles on the same trial, this work focused on colour, total phenolic index (TPI) and basic chemical characteristics of a wine spirit aged in 50 L demijohns with chestnut wood staves together with three micro-oxygenation (MOX) levels. Chromatic characteristics and TPI were monitored over time (8–365 days) while sensory colour, alcoholic strength, acidity, pH and dry extract were assessed at the end of ageing. Results showed that stronger oxygenation promoted significantly faster colour evolution (lower lightness, higher chroma, red, yellow and brown hues) and higher TPI than mild and intermediate oxygenation until 60 days, probably by favouring the leaching of outer wood layers and extraction/degradation of tannins. No significant differences were found between these ageing modalities at 365 days. Outcomes suggest that the stronger MOX is the most suitable modality in terms of quality and sustainability. Significant differences between wine spirits resulting from MOX and control modality (slower colour evolution, lower TPI and dry extract) confirms the oxygen pivotal role in wine spirit's ageing, particularly in the colour evolution.

Sensory evaluation and mixture design assessment of coffee-flavored liquor obtained from spent coffee grounds

Spent coffee grounds are a source of bioactive compounds, including caffeine and other valuable substances, such as volatiles, fats, and alkaloids, which are currently not exploited. In this research, the water content was separated through absolute ethanol extraction yielding a hydroalcoholic solution of volatiles that could be an optimal base for a coffee-flavored liquor. This work was aimed at assessing the potential of coffee-flavored liquor formulations with the use of sensory techniques and mixture design.Based on a mixture experimental design, a total of 17 coffee-flavored liquors, including replicates, were obtained at lab-scale by adding variable amounts of water, glucose syrup, and caramel to a fixed amount of hydroalcoholic extract flavored with vanillin.First, a total of 328 consumers were asked to answer a questionnaire about the attributes of an ideal coffee-flavored liquor and their intensity in order to draw an ideal profile from a consumer point of view. Then, judges trained on the attributes of industrially-produced coffee liquors were involved in two descriptive sensory evaluation sessions of the 17 samples.Data analysis pointed to the coffee-flavored liquors with a sensory profile close to the ideal one. They showed an intense black color (mean score 7) related to a higher caramel concentration in comparison with the other samples. In addition, they scored higher in flavor and body (mean score 7) due to the relative amount of syrup and water. It is noteworthy to mention that the judges regarded these samples as more balanced than the others in terms of alcohol strength, bitterness, and sweetness.

Novel colorimetric sensor array for Chinese rice wine evaluation based on color reactions of flavor compounds

AbstractIn this study, a 3 × 3 comprehensive colorimetric sensor array (CSA) was constructed for the quality evaluation of Chinese rice wine based on three different action principles (pH change principle, indicators displacement assay principle, and ethanol fading principle). First, China national standard was used to determine the total acid, reducing sugar, and alcoholic strength of six kinds of rice wine, which forms the basis for the selection of the CSA sensitive points. Then, CSA was combined with pattern recognition technologies to qualitatively distinguish rice wine. The results showed that the when PCs = 3, the linear discriminant analysis model can achieve a recognition rate of 100%, which shows strong prediction ability compared with K‐nearest neighbor and back‐propagation artificial neural network models. Finally, CSA was combined with partial least squares (PLS) and support vector regression (SVR) to quantitatively analyze the three components in rice wine. The correlation coefficients of the training set and predictions are more than 85% in the SVR model, which is superior to the PLS model. Based on these findings, it is possible to conclude that the CSA can be used to rapidly evaluate the quality of rice wine.Practical Applications Established the 3 × 3 colorimetric sensor array (CSA) for the quality evaluation of Chinese rice wine based on three different action principles (pH change principle, indicators displacement assay principle, and ethanol fading principle). The CSA was combined with pattern recognition technologies to qualitatively distinguish different kinds of rice wine. The performance of linear discriminant analysis shows strong prediction ability compared with K‐nearest neighbor and back‐propagation artificial neural network. The CSA was combined with partial least squares (PLS) and support vector regression (SVR) to quantitatively analyze the three components in rice wine. The correlation coefficients of the training set and predictions are more than 85% in the SVR model, which is superior to the PLS model.

Investigating formulation of honey beverages (honey beer and liqueur)

Beverages containing alcohol are fermented from the sugars in fruits, berries, grains, and such other ingredients as plant saps, tubers, honey, and milk and may be distilled to reduce the original watery liquid to a liquid of much greater alcoholic strength. Fermented honey drinks may have been the earliest alcoholic beverages known to man. The aim of this work was to contribute to filling the gap of low brewing technology knowledge and scientific knowledge for an innovative application of honey in the beer and liquors industry. In this study honey beverages were formulated using different amount of honey with spices, yeast, hop, fruit, alcohol with different alcohol contents, herbs like cinnamon, clove, ginger, vanilla, fruits and maize and finger millet grain ingredients. Quality assessment of the products were assessed concerning physicochemical analysis, microbiological analysis, sensory evaluation of the formulations, estimation of shelf-life and cost and yield of the products to characterize the honey beverages three different liquors and nine beer beverages produced from honey and other different ingredients. The pH, total acidity, total soluble solid and ethyl acohol contents of the formulated honey beverages were range from 3.8±0.03 to 6.1±0.010, 1.63±0.06 to 21.0±1.63, 21.30±0.56 to 36.87±0.50 and 4.81±0.17 % to 44.10±0.50 %, respectively. Liquors and beers can be formulated from honey and other ingredients to involve unemployed young as entrepreneurs to increase their income. Keywords: Honey Beverages; Honey Beer; Honey Liquor; Sensory; Physicochemical; Microbiological properties

Health halo or genuine product development: Are better‐for‐you alcohol products actually healthier?

Alcoholic products marketed as better-for-you is an emerging trend in Australia that has received limited research attention to date. This study aimed to examine the nutrient profiles of alcoholic products marketed as better-for-you that are available in the Australian market. We extracted the details of alcoholic product announcements published on the Drinks Trade website in 2019 and 2020 containing at least one keyword used to promote better-for-you products. The alcohol, energy, carbohydrate and sugar content of each product was recorded and assessed against existing classifications for alcohol strength and sugar and carbohydrate content. We identified 144 products promoted as better-for-you. The majority of products (85%, n=122) were classified as full-strength, and the median alcohol content across each alcohol product category was classified as full-strength. Most of the energy content came from alcohol, with 62% of products deriving at least 75% of their energy content from alcohol. Alcoholic products marketed as better-for-you appear to rely on an illusion of healthfulness, without addressing the ingredient of most concern to health, the alcohol content. SO WHAT?: Controls on alcohol marketing should be expanded to limit the use of health and nutrient claims. Mandatory labelling of alcoholic products with nutrition information would support consumers to be better informed about the contents of alcoholic products.

Effect of Kaolin/Defoliation Combined with Dry Ice on Lambrusco Red Wine Production to Constrain the Effects of Climate Change

Since viticulture is affected considerably by climate change, it is imperative to encourage research on newstrategies in order to constrain these critical effects on the composition of berries and the quality of wines.A multi-strategy approach composed of (i) kaolin application on foliage, (ii) late tree defoliation and (iii)cryomaceration of grapes with dry ice was evaluated in the production of Lambrusco Salamino wines.Physical, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on the sample set, including the control wines.In general, cryomaceration with dry ice proved to be a winning choice to lower alcoholic strength (roughly5%). In addition, the wines showed an increase in anthocyanin content by approximately 17%, while thecontent of catechins, flavanols and hydroxycinnamic acids decreased. Consistent with the increase in theanthocyanin content, an increase in colour indices and sensory colour intensity scores was observed. As forthe aromatic profile, 2-phenylethanol showed an increase of approximately 18% in the treated wines while,in parallel, a lower content of C6 alcohols and volatile fatty acids was observed. The multiple adaptationstrategies put in place in the present study show an alternative way to mitigate the severe effects of climatechange on wine production, and to face changing consumer demands.

Shear tests of engineered cementitious composites: Mechanical behavior and toughness evaluation

AbstractMechanical behavior of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) under direct shear is investigated by the double‐shear tests. The main test variables are the volume ratio (0%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%) of polyvinyl alcohol fiber and strength grade of ECC. The failure mode, load‐slip response and shear mechanism of ECC under direct shear are analyzed and discussed, respectively. The test results indicate that the failure mode, direct shear strength, shear slip and ductility (toughness) are influenced and been improved significantly by the incorporation of fibers. With the compressive strength of ECC increases, the direct shear strength increases but the post‐peak ductility decreases considerably. The shear mechanisms of ECC is analyzed according to the failure mode. Based on the typical load‐slip curve of ECC under direct shear, a set of size independent toughness indices including the equivalent shear strength and two toughness indices are recommended for evaluating the shear toughness of ECC.

Ratiometric fluorescent sensing of ethanol based on copper nanoclusters with tunable dual emission

Copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) have attracted a surge of interest in fluorescent sensors as their outstanding physicochemical and optical properties. However, most of the reports have focused on single-signal fluorescent sensors, which are susceptible to background interferences and affect accuracy of the results. Herein, we constructed a facile ratiometric fluorescent sensor for monitoring ethanol based on Cu NCs with tunable dual emission. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-modified Cu NCs were simply prepared in water, which exhibit ratiometric dual emission, including a strong green emission at 520 nm and a weak blue emission at 450 nm. The PVP-Cu NCs in water with strong green emission display monodisperse state due to the formation of hydration shell around Cu NCs. In ethanol where the hydration shell is destructed, Cu NCs tend to aggregate and show strong blue emission. This emission shift might attribute to the enhancement of Cu–Cu metallophilic interaction with the aggregation of Cu NCs, which induces the excited-state level increasing. Thus, a ratiometric fluorescent probe for ethanol based on the PVP-Cu NCs is fabricated, which possesses rapid response (<1 min), and realize full-range detection from 0 to 100%. In addition, this ratiometric probe is successfully applied to determine the alcohol strength of alcohol beverages, demonstrating the great potential in practical application.

Influence of Alcoholic Strength on Sensory Profile of Lager Beers

Non-alcoholic beer is a product whose demand by consumers is growing worldwide, however, it is not well accepted by consumers due to its organoleptic characteristics. Sensory evaluation reflects the flavor profile of a product and, more specifically, profile methods are considered to offer the best current solution to the problem of describing beer flavor. This research aimed to evaluate several sensory attributes of commercial regular and non-alcoholic beer (low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers) brands. These attributes were carbonation, body, sweetness, bitterness, astringency, flavor persistence, odour and taste. The results obtained by cluster and Principal Components Analysis are in a good consistency. It has been found that non-alcoholic beers have a higher sweetness than regular beers, which may be due to the brewing process. Besides, the study has allowed to determine the organoleptic characteristics of low-alcohol and regular beers. It has also helped to define the sensory profile of low-alcohol beer most valued by consumers in an attempt to improve the sensory properties of this type of beer.

Theoretical and practical approach to the dealcoholization of water-ethanol mixtures and red wine by osmotic distillation

Osmotic distillation (OD) has been a subject of interest during the last few years due to its promising application in the production of low alcohol strength wines. This work focuses on the partial dealcoholization (-3 v/v%) of red wine (tempranillo) by OD, carrying out an experimental and theoretical process analysis. The dealcoholization process was performed using a polypropylene hollow fiber module at different experimental conditions whose influence in the ethanol behavior was evaluated. At the best tested conditions, the study of the behavior of ethanol and other five different alcohols (both aliphatic and aromatic) as a function of their volatility (Henry’s constant) and their interaction with the membrane (in terms of Hansen solubility parameters) validated the theoretical model proposed. As a result, a transport resistance expression that includes the alcohol-membrane interaction was successfully developed. This allowed to reduce the error between the experimental and theoretical alcohols concentrations in a relatively wide range of working conditions.

Assessment of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers for Long-Term Use, Formulated with Addition of Natural Ingredients in Comparison to WHO Formulation 1.

During the spread of COVID-19, many laboratories used the “Formulation 1” proposed by the World Health Organization to prepare hand sanitizers. Taking into consideration its ingredients and the prolonged use of hand sanitizers, “Formulation 1” (P1) was compared with two gel formulations (P2 and P3) prepared with the addition of natural emollients and two different viscosity enhancers to define their chemical–physical stability, biocidal efficacy, and in vivo acceptability and tolerability. P1 resulted in the most efficient biocide but was poorly tolerated by the skin and not acceptable in volunteer hedonic evaluation, especially in terms of irritation and drying effect, with an expectable reduction in the compliance. Moreover, its liquid formulation is unpractical and can cause ethanol evaporation. P2 and P3 proved to be both good products regarding pH and alcohol strength values. However, in terms of viscosity, texture, ease of use, and application, P3 seemed to be a better gel product than P2. Moreover, they were well tolerated by the skin, increasing the hydration of the stratum corneum, due to the addition of Calendula officinalis and Aloe vera. Despite a lower ethanol concentration than P1, P2 and P3 also showed a good biocide efficiency, with better results in P2. In conclusion, these gel formulations proved to be more convenient for long-term use with a good balance between efficacy, safety, and compatibility with the skin.

Diversity of Italian red wines: A study by enological parameters, color, and phenolic indices

An extensive survey was conducted on 110 Italian monovarietal red wines from a single vintage to determine their standard compositional, color, and phenolic characteristics, analysing more than 35 parameters evaluated through methods commonly used in the wine industry. ‘Primitivo’ achieved the highest average alcohol strength (15.4% v/v) and dry extract values, while ‘Cannonau’ showed the lowest total acidity. ‘Corvina’ had the lowest phenolic content (1065 mg/L by Folin-Ciocalteu assay), remarkably different from the highest found in ‘Sagrantino’ (3578 mg/L), the latter being also the richest variety in both proanthocyanidins and vanillin-reactive flavanols. ‘Teroldego’ wines were the richest in both total and monomeric anthocyanins (702 and 315 mg/L, respectively), followed by ‘Aglianico’ and ‘Raboso Piave’, while ‘Corvina’, ‘Nebbiolo’, and ‘Nerello Mascalese’ were the poorest. ‘Montepulciano’ and ‘Sangiovese’ showed intermediate values for the majority of the parameters analyzed. A multivariate PCA-DA approach allowed achieving both a classification of the different wines as well as the discrimination of ‘Sangiovese’ wines produced in two regions (Emilia Romagna and Toscana) that returned a 42–66% success rate depending on the zone considered. Taking into account the number and diversity of the wines analyzed, a correlation study helped in better understanding the underlying relations between the most common and widespread analytical techniques for phenolic and color determinations.

Comparative Study on Physio-chemical and Organoleptic Attributes of Apple Wine Fermented from Local and Imported Yeasts

With home micro-brewing on the rise, use of local indigenous yeast in the fermentation process is a prevalent practice in the country. The indigenous strain found in locally processed yeast can impart certain desirable flavours and aromas to the fermented wine. Furthermore, the use of antioxidant-rich wild herbs in local yeasts is reported to enhance the nutritional value of the wine. However, local yeasts are home-made under dubious processing conditions and cannot afford the advantage of being in a pure uncontaminated microbial form, unlike the commercial strains. This might affect the fermentative capability and compromise the end quality of the wine. Thus, this study was conducted to compare the organoleptic acceptability and physio-chemical properties (total soluble solid, alcohol by volume, transmittance value, pH and titratable acidity) of apple wine fermented by two local yeasts from Trashi Yangtse and Samtse districts in Bhutan and one commercial yeast manufactured in India. Both the local yeast strains seem to yield a wine with better appearance (clarity) and taste (sweetness) based on the sensory evaluation result. In terms of fermentative capability, the commercial strain had shorter fermentation time, but the local strains were able to yield wine with similar alcohol strength to the commercial strain. For the physio-chemical parameters, only pH and titratable acidity results were significantly different with the wine from local yeast from Samtse having a significantly higher malic acid content, while the wine from commercial yeast had lower pH. However, the results deduced from the sensory evaluation does not compliment the values obtained for Total Soluble Solute and clarity measurement. Besides, the difference in pH did not resonate with the taste perception (i.e., lowest pH wine considered sweeter). Thus, other flavour components might have a role to play in the sweet taste perception. Overall, the local strains showed promising results in terms of fermentation capability (ability to convert sugar to alcohol) and organoleptic attributes of the end wine in comparison to the commercial strain.