Alcoholic Beverages and Their Effects

Introduction to Alcoholic Beverages

• Alcoholic beverages are produced from plants through fermentation and distillation.

Fermentation

• Fermentation is a biochemical process where yeasts convert sugars into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide.
• Yeast: Single-celled fungi (genus Saccharomyces) perform this conversion.
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a common yeast species used in fermentation.
  • Reproduces by budding and consumes simple sugars.
  • In anaerobic conditions, it converts sugars into alcohol.
• Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the specific type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages: $CH3-CH2OH$
• Process: A sugar molecule is converted into two molecules of ethanol and two of carbon dioxide.
  • $C6H12O6 \rightarrow 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2$
  • Glucose + Yeast -> Ethanol + Carbon Dioxide
• Requires:
  • Simple sugar
  • Anaerobic conditions (absence of oxygen)

Grapes and Wine Making

• Wine is made by fermenting grape juice.
  • Grape species: Vitis vinifera.
• History:
  • Winemaking dates back up to 10,000 years.
  • Practiced in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome.
  • Romans had a god of wine named Bacchus.
• Vinification: The process of making wine from fruits, with grapes being optimal.
• Oenology: The science of winemaking.
• Steps:
  1. Grapes are harvested, destemmed, and crushed.
  2. Primary fermentation: Yeast and sulfur dioxide are added to sterilize and prevent unwanted microbes.
  3. Pressing: Skins are removed.
  4. Racking: Settling to allow sediments to collect.
  5. Aging: Wine is stored in oak barrels to develop its bouquet.
  6. Bottling.
• Red Wines: Get their color and tannins from the red skins of grapes.
• Main types of grapes:
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot
  • Pinot noir
  • Chardonnay
• Wine spoilage:
  • Wine can turn into vinegar due to bacterial action.
  • Louis Pasteur's contributions helped prevent this.

Beer and Brewing

• History:
  • Beer production dates back over 6000 years.
  • Practiced by Sumerians, Egyptians, Hebrews, Incas, and Chinese.
• Basic ingredients:
  • Water
  • Starch from grains (typically barley)
  • Yeast
  • Hops (for flavoring)
• Types of Beer:
  • Lager beers: Use bottom-fermenting yeasts.
  • Ales and bitters: Use top-fermenting yeasts.
• Specialized Beers:
  • Sake: Rice "wine" made from rice and Aspergillus fungus, resulting in higher alcohol content (18%).
  • Chicha: Made from chewed kernels of corn.
  • Pulque: Made from the sap of Agave (similar to tequila).
• Brewing Process:
  1. Malting of barley: Enzyme production.
  2. Drying and crushing the malted barley.
  3. Mashing: Enzymes convert starch into fermentable sugars.
  4. Draining liquid and adding hops for flavoring.
  5. Fermentation: Yeast is added.
  6. Storage/aging (lagering).
  7. Pasteurization/filtering and adding carbon dioxide.
  8. Packaging into bottles, cans, or kegs.

Distilled Beverages

• Distillation: A process separating substances based on their boiling points.
  • Used to concentrate alcohol.
• Examples:
  • Brandy: Made by distilling wine.
  • Whiskey: Made by distilling beer.
  • Bourbon: Distilled from corn.
  • Vodka: Distilled from malt, grains, or potatoes.
  • Rum: Distilled from sugar cane juice or molasses.

Agave

• Tequila: A distilled spirit from the blue agave plant in Mexico.
• Mescal: Made from a different agave plant.

Effects of Alcohol on Human Health

• Alcohol is a legalized drug with significant physiological effects.
• Acts as a nervous system depressant.
• Interferes with neuroreceptors, potentially having a calming effect.
• Releases dopamine and endorphins, creating a feeling of well-being.
• Slows heart rate and breathing rate.
• Impairs short-term memory.
• Absorption and Metabolism:
  • Mostly absorbed in the intestine, some in the stomach.
  • Food slows its movement to the intestine.
  • Broken down in the liver by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.
  • Carbonation increases absorption rate.
  • Higher water content increases absorption.
  • Higher fat content decreases absorption.
  • Women generally have lower alcohol tolerance.
• Positive effects (in low doses):
  • Up to 2 drinks per day may lower the risk of heart disease.
  • Promotes socialization and laughter.
  • May improve memory retention in women over 60.
• Negative health effects:
  • Toxicity: Can cause death by depressing the central brain stem.
  • Impaired coordination and thought (e.g., drunk driving), leading to accidents and fatalities.
  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Drinking during pregnancy causes fetal abnormalities.
  • Alcoholism: Addictive and can cause liver damage, permanent brain damage, and malnutrition.
  • Dangerous interactions with prescription drugs, such as liver damage when combined with acetaminophen (Tylenol).
• Long-term effects:
  • Increased risk of cancer, liver damage, immune system disorders, and brain damage.
  • Can worsen conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers, memory loss, and mood disorders.
  • Contributes to suicides, crashes, burns, drownings, homicides, and falls.
• New Study (2018):
  • "No level of alcohol consumption improves health" (The Lancet).
  • The safest amount of alcohol is zero grams per week.
  • Any benefits are outweighed by the overall adverse health impact.

Concluding Thoughts

• Fermentation converts sugars to alcohol and CO2 using yeasts.
• Wine is fermented grape juice.
• Beer contains water, malted barley (as a starch and sugar source), hops (for flavor), and yeast.
• Distillation is used to create various spirits from different plants.
• Alcohol consumption increases the risk of liver disease, cardiovascular disease, depression, cancers, etc.