Plant Beverages Flashcards

Plant Beverages

Beers

• Made from fermented grains, usually barley.
• Lager beers use bottom-fermenting yeasts (Saccharomyces pastorianus).
• Ales and bitters use top-fermenting yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

Sake

• Rice "wine" made from rice and a mold (Aspergillus fungus).
• The fungus liberates sugar, resulting in a higher alcohol concentration (18%).

Chicha

• A Native American beverage made from chewed kernels of corn.

Distilled Whiskey

• Mostly made from various yeasted grains that undergo a distilling process.

History of Beer

• Evidence suggests beer dates back approximately 6000 years.
• Sumerians in the fertile crescent used much of their grain to make beer.
• Early brewing was linked to bread making, using sprouted grain to make barley breads.
• The dough was a logical place for fermentation to occur.
• The source of yeast was not controlled, so batches could vary greatly.
• Relatively recent standardization of methods has allowed for consistent beer quality.
• Traditional beers can be nutritious, providing proteins and vitamins, but also containing many carbs, earning the name "liquid bread."

Beer Ingredients

1. Barley Malt

• Barley is preferred because it contains large amounts of enzymes that convert starches to sugars.
• Malting involves causing the grain to sprout and then drying it.
  • The grain is washed for 8-10 hours to absorb water.
  • It sits in water for approximately 40 hours.
  • The water is drained, and the grain sits in a controlled room for 6 days, producing amylases that break down starch and reduce cloudiness.
  • The germination process is stopped by heating.

2. Hops – Humulus lupulus (Cannabaceae)

• A dioecious vine; the female flowering structures are used.
• Provides the flavor associated with beer.
• Acts as a preservative.
• Adds enzymes that coagulate proteins, reducing cloudiness.
• Appears to have antibacterial activity.
• Many other plants have been used to flavor beers.

3. Adjuncts

• Unmalted grains: barley, rice, wheat, corn syrup, potatoes – contain starches that can be converted to sugar; used for economic reasons (less expensive than malted barley).
• Light-flavored (or flavorless) beers, best selling in the U.S. (Budweiser, Miller, Coors) have significant amounts of corn and/or rice.
• Beer produced this way will also have fewer proteins.

4. Yeast

• Saccharomyces pastorianus is used for lager beers.
• S. cerevisiae is used for ale.

5. Water

• pH and mineral content affect taste.

The Brewing Process

• Malting Barley
• Mill
• Mash Mixer
• Lauter Tun
• Wort Boiling Kettle
• Cooling
• Fermentation
• Aging Tanks
• Filtration
• Pasteurization
• Bottling and Canning
• Bottle Washing
• Grain for Animal Feed
• Spent Yeast for Health Products
• Shipping

History of Wine – Grape (Vitis vinifera)

• Evidence suggests wine dates back approximately 8000 - 9000 years.
• Shards of pottery depicting wine making processes have been found.
• Egyptians (5,000 years ago) had clear evidence from art showing the process, and pottery containing wine was found in ancient tombs.
• Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations developed many wine varieties.
• The Romans introduced wine to the rest of Europe.
• In North America (1769), Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra introduced wine to California; it became a major wine region (Napa Valley, CA) by the 1970s.

Wine Making

• Originally, the source of microbes was not controlled, leading to spontaneous fermentation.
• Now, Sulfur Dioxide is added to kill naturally occurring yeast, and oxygen is removed to avoid aerobic bacteria, which turns wine to Vinegar.
• Louis Pasteur discovered the cause of vinegar in the middle of the 18th Century.
• The source of fungus is now variable but controlled.
• The source of grapes is Vitis vinifera, which produces most major red and white wines.
• The process is different than that for beer.

Wine Making Process

• Harvest: Grapes are harvested when the balance between sugar and acid levels is just right.
• Crushing/Destemming: Stems are removed, and grapes are crushed to release juice easily.
• For white wines, the juice is pressed off the skins first, then fermented; For red wines, fermentation takes place in contact with the skins (that's where the red color comes from), then the fermented juice is pressed off the skins afterwards.
• Aging/Maturation: The wine ages for a short or long time in stainless steel vessels or oak barrels; red wines usually age longer.
• Bottling: Additional in-bottle aging/maturation may be desirable.

Distilled Alcoholic Beverages – “Hard” alcohol

• Water boils at 100° C (212 F).
• Ethanol boils at 78.5° C (173.3 F).
• Owning a still without a license is illegal in the U.S. and Canada!
• The mixture is heated; ethanol gas is driven off at a lower temperature and collected in a condenser. Devices are added to minimize water vapor from escaping.

Whiskeys

• Whiskey is made from malted barley or malted barley mixed with other grain.
• proof = twice the concentration of alcohol (90 proof = 45\%$ alcohol).
• Scotch is made from barley malt and aged in charred casks in Scotland.
• Bourbon is from Bourbon Co., Kentucky, and must be 51+% corn.
• Tennessee sour mash is bourbon filtered through charcoal
• Rye is 51% rye grain.

Other Distilled Beverages

• Gin, Vodka – distilled to a high percentage of alcohol
  • Gin: flavored with juniper “berries” (fleshy cones).
  • Vodka: made from malt, grains, or potatoes (variously mixed).
• Rum: distilled from molasses or sugar cane juice.
• Tequila & Mescal: Made in Mexico; produced from Agave.

Stimulant Beverages

• Caffeine and Theobromine

Caffeine and Theobromine – (psychoactive) Mild Stimulants

• Alkaloids (note N, ring structure).
• Plant Chemical Defense.
• Effects of Caffeine and Theobromine:
  • Central nervous system stimulant.
  • Mild diuretic (makes you “pee”).
• Mode of action:
  • Interferes with enzymes, so adrenaline remains active, leading to an alert feeling.
  • Blocks adenosine receptors, inhibiting sleep signals.

Major Plant Sources of Caffeine & Theobromine

• Coffee – Coffea arabica and related species (Rubiaceae).
• Chocolate – Theobroma cacao (Malvaceae).
• Tea – Camellia sinensis (Theaceae).

Other Sources of Caffeine & Theobromine

• Mate - Ilex paraguariensis (Aquifoliaceae).
• Guaraná - Paullinia capana (Sapindaceae).
• Kola - Cola nitida (Malvaceae).

Caffeine & People

• Most widely used psychoactive drug.
• Small amounts generally have no long-term effects.
• Even small amounts taken regularly can produce withdrawal if stopped (often manifested as headaches).
• Large amounts can cause adverse symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia.
• Effects are dose-dependent, so effects on young, unborn are more pronounced.
• Current national health recommendations advise pregnant women to reduce or eliminate caffeine consumption during pregnancy.

Health Effects Of ‘Natural’ Caffeine-Based Beverages

• Drinking two additional cups of coffee a day was linked to a 44\%$ lower risk of developing liver cirrhosis. (Kennedy et al. 2016 AP&T).
• Caffeine enhanced consolidation of long-term memories in humans (Borota et al. 2014 Nature Neuroscience).
• No statistically significant association was found between the risk of developing colorectal cancer and consumption of coffee or sweetened soft drinks, although a small positive association was found for higher tea consumption (Zhang et al. 2010 Journal of the National Cancer Institute).
• Coffee consumption can significantly decrease the risks of colorectal cancer and colon cancer, especially in Europe and for females (Li et al. 2013 Public Health Nutrition).

History of Coffee

• Origin of cultivation was out of Ethiopia (Africa) – timing poorly known.
• Early use was by eating the bean – drinking started in the 13th Century.
• Coffea arabica & Coffea canephora ‘robusta’ are primary sources.
• 1500s – Widely cultivated in Yemen and widespread use in the Arabian world – kept worshippers awake through long vigils.
• Later, coffee houses emerged – not favored by religious leaders.
• 1600s – Introduced to Europe.
• Today, coffee is cultivated in tropical regions around the world.
• A >500 Billion industry with imperialistic tendencies.
• Fair Trade Coffee guarantees farmers prices.

History of Chocolate – Theobroma cacao

• Origin from Northern South America; early cultivation also in Southern Mexico and Central America – timing poorly known.
• Early use was in the preparation of a beverage, and the beans were used as money.
• Early 1500s – Columbus noted its use, but not its importance; Cortez, in conquering the Aztecs, brought the drink and recipe (included chile peppers and vanilla) to the Spanish King.
• Monopolized by the Spanish until the 1600s.
• By 1650 – Common throughout Europe.
• 1847 – First chocolate bar – England (added butter and sugar).
• 1875 - First milk chocolate – Switzerland (D. Peter & H. Nestlè added condensed milk).
• Today, the plant is cultivated in tropical regions around the world (mostly in Africa).
• A >110 Billion industry.
• Like coffee, there are slave-like conditions for many workers (2001 – UN estimated up to 200,000 child slaves used on African plantations).
• Fair Trade Chocolate also established to prevent labor atrocities.

History of Tea (Camellia sinensis)

• Origin is China.
• ~3000 BC evidence of cultivations.
• Early use as medicine and later as a beverage ~2737 BC.
• Similar to coffee, evidence shows monks and priests used it to help them stay awake during meditation.
• ~750 BC evidence of use in India, and in the 8th Century to Japan.
• 1500s: Portuguese bring tea to Europe; by the 16th Century, the English were introduced to the drink during the reign of King Charles II and his Portuguese wife Queen Catherine (it wasn’t until the 19th century that afternoon tea became a mainstay of British culture).
• Dec 6, 1773: “Boston Tea Party” a band of sixty Americans boarded 3 ships in the Boston harbor dumped the tea in protest of British Parliament's Tea Act (taxes) of 1773.
• Today, tea is cultivated across the world, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.
• It is grown in over 52 countries and is an important cash crop in many developing countries (> 245 billion).
• China and India are known to be the largest tea-producing countries.

TYPES OF TEA

• Fresh tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) are processed into:
  • White Tea (withering, drying)
  • Green Tea (steaming or pan-frying, rolling, drying)
  • Oolong Tea (withering, shaking, partial ferment, rolling, pan-frying, drying)
  • Black Tea (withering, shaking, full ferment, drying)