Vinegar

Vinegar can be produced with different methods. The classic method of production is still the so-called surface process. Here a fermented wine is inoculated with vinegar bacteria and over time the so-called vinegar mother is formed on the surface. This process requires a lot of patience, as it can take up to 9 months until all the alcohol has been converted to acetic acid.
Much faster is the chip forming process, where the vinegar bacteria are on wood chips and due to the large surface and constant movement a more effective vinegar fermentation is possible. Industrial plants run with the submerged process, in which there is no carrier material and the acetic fermentation progresses so quickly that the concentration of vinegar and alcohol must be constantly monitored and the whole process must be temperature-controlled. The costs for this are much higher, but the vinegar formation takes place within a few hours.