205 Quiz Alcohol and Tabacco

Fermentation

Certain yeasts act on sugar in the presence of water, and this

chemical action is fermentation.

• Forms the basis of all alcoholic beverages.

Raw materials.

• Fruits.

• Adding the appropriate yeast to a mixture of crushed grapes and water

will begin the fermentation process because of the sugar content in fruits.

• Cereal grains: Require malt to convert starch into sugar.

Yeast has a limited tolerance for alcohol.

• When the concentration reaches 15 percent, the yeast dies and

fermentation ceases.

Distilled Products

Distillation.

• Process in which a solution containing alcohol is heated, and the

vapors are collected and condensed into liquid form again.

• Said to be discovered in Arabia around A D 800.

• Introduced in Europe around the tenth century.

Proof.

• A measure of the alcohol content of a distilled beverage.

• The percentage of alcohol by volume is one-half of the proof number.

• Example: 90-proof whiskey is 45 percent alcoho

Beer

Production process.

• Made by adding barley malt to other cereal grains.

• Hops are added with yeast to give beer its distinctive, pungent flavor.

Light beer.

• Has fewer calories, lighter taste, and less alcohol.

• Mash is fermented at a cooler temperature for a longer time.

• This converts more of the sugars to alcohol.

• Then water is added to adjust the alcohol content.

Two U.S. giants, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, dominate the market

for beers in the United States.

• Imported beers and microbreweries are growing in popularity.

Wine

Production.

• Made from fermented grapes.

• A large volume of wine is produced in mechanized, sterilized wine

factories.

• Many small wineries operate alongside the industry giants.

Most wines contain about 12 percent alcohol.

Factors that add to the quality of wines.

• Selection and cultivation of grapevines.

• Good weather.

• Timing of the harvest.

• Careful monitoring of fermentation and aging.

Varieties of Wine

Wines are often named for the type of grape used

to make them, or for one of the traditional

European land areas known for producing a

particular kind of wine.

Red versus white.

Sweet versus dry.

Sparkling wines.

Fortified wines.

• Have an alcohol content near 20 percent

Distilled Spirits

Contain 95 percent pure ethyl alcohol, that is 190 proof.

Grain neutral spirits.

• Clear liquid that is tasteless.

• Sold as Everclear to consumers and can be used in medicine or

research.

• Used to make various beverages.

• Gin: Distillate filtered through juniper berries and then diluted with water.

• Vodka: Mixture of grain neutral spirits and water.

Congeners

may include alcohols other than ethanol and oils contained

in alcoholic beverages.

• Grain neutral spirits contain relatively few congeners.

Whiskey

Distilled at a lower proof, not more than 160.

• Distillate contains more congeners and some flavor from the grain.

• Whiskey accumulates congeners during aging, at least for the first five

years.

More on Distilled Spirits

Types of whiskey.

• Straight rye whiskey.

• Bourbon whiskey.

• Blended whiskey.

Liqueurs, or cordials, are similar to

fortified wines.

• Highly flavored and contain 20

to 25 percent alcohol

Views on Alcohol in the U.S

At the time of America’s revolution.

• Most Americans drank more alcohol compared with drinking water.

• Early Puritan ministers referred to alcoholic drink as “the Good

Creature of God.”

• They denounced drunkenness as a sinful misuse of the “Good Creature.”

After the American Revolution.

• Alcohol was the first psychoactive substance to become demonized

in American culture.

Temperence Movement

Benjamin Rush.

• Wrote a pamphlet titled “An Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on

the Mind and Body.”

• Noticed a relationship between heavy drinking and jaundice,

“madness,” and “epilepsy.”

• Believed that hard liquor damaged drinkers’ morality.

• Referred to alcohol addiction as a disease.

The temperance movement.

• Initially promoted abstinence from distilled spirits only.

• It became fashionable to “take the pledge” in the early 1800s.

• Later promoted total abstinence.

Prohibition

13 states passed prohibition laws between 1851 and 1855.

• By 1917, 64 percent of the American population lived in dry territory.

• People drank illegally in speakeasies and other private clubs, and they

drank legally from a variety of the many patent medicines that were

freely available.

Federal prohibition.

• The 18th Amendment banned the sale of alcohol.

• People still drank illegally.

• Enforcement was challenging

Probhition Continued

Outcomes of Prohibition.

• Organized crime became more organized and profitable.

• Alcohol dependence and alcohol-related deaths declined.

18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

Reasons for the repeal.

• Alcohol taxes had been a major source of revenue.

• Concerns that widespread disrespect for the Prohibition law

encouraged a general sense of lawlessness.

Probhition…..

Outcomes of the repeal.

• Alcohol per capita sales and consumption increased.

• Alcohol consumption returned to pre-Prohibition levels after the

Second World War.

Regulation and Taxation

Regulation after 1933.

• Some states remained dry after national Prohibition.

• Most states allowed beer sales.

• Mississippi was the last dry state.

• Allowed alcohol purchase and consumption in 1966.

• In 1970s, 30 states lowered the drinking age to 18 or 19.

• It was raised again to 21 following concerns over young people dying in

alcohol-related traffic accidents.

Taxation.

• Federal and state taxes and licensing fees amount to about half the

cost of an alcoholic beverage.

Alcohol Consumption Patterns 1/3

Consumption patterns are influenced by cultural factors.

Trends in the United States alcohol consumption.

• Alcohol use rose through most of the 1970s and peaked in 1981.

• Use of illicit drugs also reached a peak about the same time.

• Declined between the years 1981 and 1995.

Alcohol Consumption Patterns in the U.S 2/3

Regional differences in the United States.

• One-third of the adult population label themselves as abstainers.

• Half the alcohol is consumed by 10 percent of the drinkers.

Differences in per-capita sales reflect differences in the degree of

urbanization and some regional cultural differences.

• Alcohol sales are higher in population centers.

• Examples: District of Columbia and Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada.

Alcohol Consumption Patterns 3/3

Gender differences.

• Males are more likely to drink than females.

• Males are more likely than females to report binge drinking within the

past 30 days.

Drinking among college students.

• Many campuses have banned the sale or advertising of alcohol.

• Many fraternities have banned keg parties.

• There is some evidence that this is helping.

• Fewer students are binge drinking.

• Fewer students are driving after drinking.

What is a Standard Drink?

Standard drink has about 0.5 ounce of absolute alcohol and is equivalent

to:

• 12 ounces of beer at about 4 percent alcohol.

• 4 ounces of wine at 12 percent alcohol.

• 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits or 1.25 ounces of 80-proof spirits.

Pharmacology 1/2

Absorption.

• Most absorption happens in the small intestine.

• Some alcohol is absorbed in the stomach.

• Slower if there is food or water in the stomach.

• Faster in the presence of carbonated beverages.

Distribution.

• Blood alcohol concentration, or B A C.

• Measure of the concentration of alcohol in blood, which is expressed as a

percentage in terms of grams per 100 milliliters.

• Alcohol is distributed throughout the body fluids, including the blood,

but does not distribute much into fatty tissues.

Pharmacology 2/2

• Thus, a 180-pound lean person will have a lower B A C than a 180-

pound fat person who drinks the same amount of alcohol.

• A person’s B A C is stable if the rate of intake equals the rate of

metabolism.

• If rate of intake exceeds the rate of metabolism, B A C increases.

Alcohol Metabolism 1/2

Primary metabolic system.

• The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase converts alcohol to

acetaldehyde.

• Acetaldehyde is then converted rapidly by aldehyde dehydrogenase to

acetic acid.

• The major factor determining the rate of alcohol metabolism is the

activity of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.

The amount of alcohol that can be metabolized is constant at about 0.25

to 0.30 ounces per hour regardless of the B A C.

• Exercise and consumption of coffee do not speed up the rate of

metabolism.

Alcohol Metabolism 2/2

Liver responds to chronic intake of alcohol by increasing the activity of

metabolic enzymes.

• Contributes to tolerance among heavy users.

For heavy alcohol users.

• When alcohol is present, metabolism of other drugs is slower.

• When alcohol is not present, metabolism of other drugs is faster.

Chronic Disease States

Loss of brain tissue.

• Associated with:

• Alcoholic brain dementia.

• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: A chronic mental impairment

produced by heavy alcohol use over a long period of time.

Heart disease.

• Cardiomyopathy, heart attack, hypertension, and stroke.

• Moderate alcohol use may reduce heart attack risk.