Alcoholic Beverages

Majority samples are in the age group of 35 years to 50 years. Nearly 50 per cent of respondents are illiterates. 62.3 per cent (187 respondents) are male. Mostly samples are married people; their percentage is 84
(252 respondents). The respondents from both the selected districts are drastically high from the OBC community, with 48 per cent (144 respondents). The respondents with agriculture, agricultural allied activities and agricultural labourers as the primary occupation, is 60 per cent (182 respondents). Nearly 60 percent families are landless and from below poverty line. The study shows that Ortho-related diseases dominated by 33.3 per cent (103 respondents). This is followed by paralysis at 16 per cent (48 respondents). Uterus related disease is an account for 27 respondents (9 per cent), pulmonary diseases are account for 25 respondents (8.3 per cent). It can be found that there is a high positive correlation between age, education, occupation, possession of land, health problems.
Keywords: Health programme, Diseases, Insurance, BPL families.

Alcohol one of the important products of the global addiction alters brain function by interacting with multiple neurotransmitter systems, thereby disrupting the delicate balance between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters. Alcohol positively reinforces drinking by producing a mild euphoria. The reinforcing effects of alcohol are mediated by several neurochemical systems and are associated with some of the behavioral manifestations of intoxication. Alcohol consumption is initially accompanied by decreased attention, alterations in memory, mood changes and drowsiness. Generally all vital functions of brain depend on a delicate balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission,which in turn dependent on short and long term alcohol consumption. Detailed understanding of alcohol's mechanism of action on the neurotransmitters of brain is a prerequisite in discovering effective treatments for both alcohol abuse and alcoholism. This review covers the elaborate literat...

Yeasts of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto species complex are able to convert sugar into ethanol and CO2 via fermentation. They have been used for thousands years by mankind for fermenting food and beverages. In the Neolithic times, fermentations were probably initiated by naturally occurring yeasts, and it is unknown when humans started to consciously add selected yeast to make beer,

Counter-advertising commonly is used to balance the effects that alcohol advertising may have on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Such measures can take the form of print or broadcast advertisements (e.g., public service announcements [PSAs]) as well as product warning labels. The effectiveness of both types of counter-advertising is reviewed using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical framework. For print and broadcast counter-advertisements, such factors as their emotional appeal and the credibility of the source, as well as audience factors, can influence their effectiveness. Further, brewer-sponsored counter-advertisements are evaluated and received differently than are the more conventional PSA counter-advertisements. For warning labels, both the content and design of the label influence their effectiveness, as do audience factors. The effectiveness of those labels is evaluated in terms of the extent to which they impact cognitive and affective proc...

Utilization of wastes from agriculture is becoming increasingly important due to concerns of environmental impact. The goals of this work were to evaluate the ability of an unusual organism, Saccharophagus degradans (ATCC 43961), to degrade the major components of plant cell walls and to evaluate the ability of S. degradans to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs, also known as bioplastics). S. degradans can readily attach to cellulosic fibers, degrade the cellulose, and utilize this as the primary carbon source. The growth of S. degradans was assessed in minimal media (MM) containing glucose, cellobiose, avicel, and bagasse with all able to support growth. Cells were able to attach to avicel and bagasse fibers; however, growth on these insoluble fibers was much slower and led to a lower maximal biomass production than observed with simple sugars. Lignin in MM alone did not support growth, but did support growth upon addition of glucose, although with an increased adaptation phase. When culture conditions were switched to a nitrogen depleted status, PHA production commences and extends for at least 48 h. At early stationary phase, stained inclusion bodies were visible and two chronologically increasing infrared light absorbance peaks at 1,725 and 1,741 cm−1 confirmed the presence of PHAs. This work demonstrates for what we believe to be the first time, that a single organism can degrade insoluble cellulose and under similar conditions can produce and accumulate PHA. Additional work is necessary to more fully characterize these capabilities and to optimize the PHA production and purification. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;100: 882–888. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Acrolein (propenal) is found in many foods and beverages and may pose a health hazard due to its cytotoxicity. Considerable knowledge gaps regarding human exposure to acrolein exist, and there is a lack of reliable analytical methods. Hydroalcoholic dilutions prepared for calibration purposes from pure acrolein show considerable degradation of the compound and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed that 1,3,3-propanetriol and 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde are formed. The degradation can be prevented by addition of hydroquinone as stabilizer to the calibration solutions, which then show linear concentration-response behaviour required for quantitative analysis. The stabilized calibration solutions were used for quantitative headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC–MS) determination of acrolein in alcoholic beverages with a detection limit of 14 μg L−1. Of 117 tested alcoholic beverages, 64 were tested positive with the highest incidence in grape marc spirits and whiskey (100%, mean 252 μg L−1), followed by fruit spirits (86%, mean 591 μg/L−1), tequila (86%, mean 404 μg L−1), Asian spirits (43%, mean 54 μg L−1) and wine (9%, mean 0.7 μg L−1). Acrolein could not be detected in beer, vodka, absinthe and bottled water. Six of the fruit and grape marc spirits had acrolein levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) provisional tolerable concentration of 1.5 mg L−1.

Dal tardo medioevo fino al Seicento, un "viaggio" piuttosto insolito alle origini della "grappa", la tipica acquavite di vinaccia prodotta in Friuli, distillato un tempo ben più noto in lingua friulana con l'accattivante e ormai desueto nome di "petes".

Abstract: Absinthe, a strong alcoholic aperitif, is notorious for containing the compound ‘thujone’, which has been commonly regarded as its ‘active ingredient’. It has been widely theorized that the thujone content of vintage absinthe made it harmful to public health, and caused the distinct syndrome absinthism, which was extensively described in the literature prior to the spirit’s ban in 1915. The interdisciplinary research presented in this paper shows that 1) absinthism cannot be distinguished from common alcoholism in the medical research literature of the time, and that 2) due to the physical chemistry of the distillation process, the thujone content of vintage absinthe was considerably lower than previously estimated and corresponds to levels generally recognized as safe, as proven by analyses of absinthes from the pre-ban era. Due to the re-legalization of absinthe in the European Union and more recently in the United States, potential public health concerns have re-emerged...

A new technique for analyzing the overall full range of volatile to semi-volatile organic compounds in high alcohol containing beverages using Vacuum Assisted Sorbent Extraction (VASE) in headspace paired with GCMS analysis is presented. 

A cartridge containing approximately 70mg of Tenax is placed into a sample vial containing either neat or diluted sample containing a high amount of alcohol. A vacuum tight interface allows the vial headspace to be evacuated to less than 0.01 atmospheres, or at least to the point where an aqueous mixture starts to boil at 25°C.  The vacuum is only applied for the time it takes to evacuate the vial, about 15-30 seconds depending on vial size. The vial remains under vacuum after removal of the vacuum source, creating a closed system where faster diffusion from the sample/headspace boundary layer to the adsorbent enhances rates of extraction for both low and higher volatility compounds.

Heavy volatile compounds with low vapor pressures which have little to no response by classical SPME are extracted 10-50x more efficiently. Unlike dynamic headspace, which uses an inert gas to sweep the volatiles of a sample through the adsorbent bed to concentrate and trap analytes, VASE is performed statically. VASE allows the sample and headspace to come to an equilibrium in a closed system, causing analytes to diffuse onto and collect at the very front of the adsorbent bed. Therefore, VASE achieves a much better recovery of heavier compounds while eliminating the common carryover issues.

Once placed under vacuum, the extraction time ranges from minutes to hours until equilibrium between the sample and headspace is reached to produce complete, reproducible extractions. This helps to prevent changes in extraction efficiency when small differences in the sample matrix occur. Additionally, using a packed adsorbent trap for VASE has the advantage of providing 100x more capacity than a GC capillary columns, allowing split injections of 50:1 or more to achieve rapid injection rates while still maximizing the amount that can be loaded onto capillary a GCMS systems for maximum sensitivity and optimum detection limits. In the case of alcoholic beverages, an increased phase ratio is extremely important in dealing with the high affinity of most odor and flavor compounds to the high alcohol containing matrix (up to 40% alcohol by volume).

Data is presented showing rum, whiskey, and wine samples analyzed using VASE, with and without the addition of water or a saturated sodium sulfate solution to determine the optimum approach for recovering volatile to semi-volatile compounds in the sample. Calibration curves of trace level contaminants in wine are also presented showing calibrations from 0.1 to 20 ng/L for Trichloroanisoles, Tribromoanisole,  Geosmin, and 2-Methylisoborneol, using Geosmin-d3 as the internal standard.  Consistent recovery of these compounds in spiked and non-spiked drinking water and wine demonstrated the ability to perform measurements in matrices with varied complexity and affinity for the target analytes. The results show the extensive range of compounds extracted using VASE. This demonstrates its potential as a sensitive and routine method for examining aroma compounds relating to flavor analysis and regulated contaminants such as trichloroanisoles and phthalates in alcoholic beverages.

Issues. This contribution aims to examine systematically the evidence on the impact of the quality of unrecorded alcohol products on health consequences. Approach. Systematic computer assisted review of the literature. Key Findings. There are a number of pathways related to alcohol quality that may lead to acute or chronic health problems. The following constituents and contaminants of alcoholic beverages were identified as likely contributors to these problems: (i) toxic metals (e.g. lead) from contaminated water sources or unsuitable distillation equipment; (ii) volatile constituents, such as acetaldehyde or higher alcohols, which may be produced in significant amounts due to faults in production technology or microbiological spoilage; (iii) ethyl carbamate (urethane), a carcinogenic contaminant with major occurrence in certain fruit and sugarcane spirits; (iv) biologically active flavour compounds (e.g. coumarin in cosmetics used as non-beverage alcohol); (v) toxic compounds used to denature alcohol (e.g. methanol or diethyl phthalate). In addition, the often higher ethanol content may have detrimental health effects. These pathways should not be assumed as present for all subcategories of unrecorded alcohol, but are more relevant to certain types and geographic regions. Implications. A health impact of unrecorded alcohol over and above the effect of ethanol cannot be excluded. More research is urgently needed, especially with respect to liver disease and alcohol poisoning as endpoints. Conclusion. A feasible approach for new research on the effects of unrecorded alcohol could be based on a representative sample from low socioeconomic regions with high prevalence of unrecorded consumption.[Rehm J, Kanteres F, Lachenmeier DW. Unrecorded consumption, quality of alcohol and health consequences. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010]

The following report assesses BrewDog’s supply chain, including its supply chain network and main partners. The report also examines the role of logistics within its supply chain, focusing on areas which have been pivotal to the brands success, such as inventory management and warehousing. Lastly, the report discusses how the company has developed its global reach, including its sustainability efforts.

Ethyl carbamate (EC), a known genotoxic carcinogen, was studied in 25 brands of pot still cachaças from 19 distilleries in Paraíba State, Brazil. A concentration range of 55–700 µg/l was found with most brands (70%) exceeding the international EC limit for spirits (150 µg/l). Brand characteristics (colour, distillation [single or double], and bottle colouration) showed no consistent connection with EC levels. However, when EC levels of yellowish (cask matured) and colourless single-distiled cachaças from the same distillery were compared, the yellowish type was much more heavily contaminated. Eleven distilleries were visited and information regarding the distillation scale, kettle heating system, kettle’s shape, and cooling system of the column was collected. A close connection between EC levels and cooling system was found, with the non-cooled and cooled columns dominating the brands with high (200–700 µg/l range) and low (55–100 µg/l range) contamination levels, respectively.