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fusel oil

 
Dictionary: fu·sel oil   (fyū'zəl) pronunciation
n.
An acrid, oily, poisonous liquid mixture of amyl alcohols, occurring in incompletely distilled alcoholic liquids and used as a solvent and in the manufacture of explosives and pure amyl alcohols.

[German Fusel, bad liquor, from Low German.]


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Chemistry Dictionary: fusel oil
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A mixture of high-molecular weight alcohols containing also esters and fatty acids, sometimes formed as a toxic impurity in the distillation products of alcoholic fermentation. It is used as a source of higher alcohols and in making paints and plastics.



Food and Nutrition: fusel oil
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A mixture of organic acids, higher alcohols (propyl, butyl, and amyl), aldehydes, and esters, known collectively as congeners, produced in alcoholic fermentation.

It is present in low concentration in wines and beer, and in high concentration in pot-still spirit. On maturation of the liquor fusel oil changes and imparts the special flavour to the spirit. Many of the symptoms of hangover can be attributed to fusel oil in alcoholic beverages.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: fusel oil
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fusel oil (fyū'zəl), oily, colorless liquid with a disagreeable odor and taste. It is a mixture of alcohols (largely amyl alcohols) and fatty acids, formed during the alcoholic fermentation of organic materials. After imperfect distillation of these fermentation products it becomes an impurity in the distilled liquor. Fusel oil is used as a solvent in the manufacture of certain lacquers and enamels (it dissolves nitrocellulose). It has a detrimental effect on the human system.


Wikipedia: Fusel alcohol
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Fusel alcohols, also sometimes called fusel oils, or potato oil in Europe, are higher-order alcohols (that is, alcohols with more than two carbon atoms) formed by fermentation and present in cider, mead, beer, wine, and spirits to varying degrees.

The term fusel is German for “bad liquor.”[1]

Composition and taste

The compounds involved are chiefly:

Excessive concentrations of these fractions may cause off flavours, sometimes described as "spicy," "hot," or "solvent-like." Some beverages, such as whisky, Siwucha and traditional ales and ciders, are expected to have relatively high concentrations of fusel alcohols as part of the flavour profile. In other beverages, such as vodka and lagers, the presence of fusel alcohols is considered a fault. Very high concentrations — usually caused by incompetent distillation — can cause acute illness, including headaches, nausea, vomiting, or coma. A liquor with this level of concentration of fusel alcohols may be referred to as "rotgut."[citation needed]

Formation and removal

Fusel alcohols are formed when fermentation occurs:

  • at higher temperatures,
  • at lower pH,
  • when yeast activity is limited by low nitrogen content.

During distillation, fusel alcohols are concentrated in the "tails" at the end of the distillation run. They have an oily consistency, which is noticeable to the distiller, hence the other name "fusel oil". If desired, these heavier alcohols can be almost completely separated in a reflux still. Freeze distillation, on the other hand, does not remove fusel alcohols.

References

  1. ^ Hazelwood, Lucie A.; Daran, Jean-Marc; van Maris, Antonius J. A.; Pronk, Jack T.; Dickinson, J. Richard (2008), "The Ehrlich pathway for fusel alcohol production: a century of research on Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism", Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74 (8): 2259–66, doi:10.1128/AEM.02625-07, PMID 18281432, PMC: 2293160, http://aem.asm.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=18281432 .

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Chemistry Dictionary. A Dictionary of Chemistry. Sixth Edition. Copyright © Market House Books Ltd, 2008. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fusel alcohol" Read more