Recipient Organization
MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
(N/A)
EAST LANSING,MI 48824
Performing Department
Food Science
Non Technical Summary
The practice of production of distilled alcoholic beverages dates back to ancient times and prior to Prohibition there were literally thousands of distillers in the U.S. Only now, seventy years after the repeal of Prohibition, are small scale, speciality, ?artisan? distillers making a comeback. Unlike their large corporate counterparts, these artisan distillers are much closer to the production of the raw materials and are integrated with the vineyards, orchards, and farms that provide their required raw materials. Five years ago in Michigan we had no such artisan producers. Today there are eight commercial producers with a number of others contemplating entering the business. The economic potential for artisan distilling is quite high in that this industry provides three sources of finances: value added agricultural products for the producers, job creation, and unlike most other product categories, a substantial public source of funds through both Sate and Federal excise taxes and mark-ups. The main barriers to entry for the artisan distillers are lack of access to the technical skills necessary to enter distilling and sound marketing strategies. For the most part, capital has not been the limiting factor as most entering the business are leveraged against an existing business, e.g. winery, micro-brewery, orchards, that has sufficient income to access debt financing. The clearly successful marketing strategy that is emerging is that of direct sales to visitors to the facility, which takes advantage of Michigan?s scenic geography. This approach is widely practiced in Europe where thousands of artisan distillation facilities are located on farms, orchards and vineyards. Drawing upon this strength is anticipated that industry wide marketing/branding strategies can be developed. The key remaining barrier to development of the industry is the general lack of active university research/development and educational programs to support the industry in the U.S. MSU has been a leader in starting such a program over ten years and is now recognized as the U.S. source for this information.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The research program will pursue new process technology for raw material pretreatment, fermentation, distillation, and aging. In addition, the range of products to be considered will be expanded from brandies to rums, vodkas, whiskeys, gins and will also consider fortified dessert wines/ports/cordials. A second main thrust of the program is the use of advanced analytical techniques for process control and quality control. These techniques include gas and liquid chromatography. Product development will also be pursued. Products will include brandied fruits, flavor extracts, as well as the traditional development of unique flavored gins, vodkas, brandies, and whiskies.
Project Methods
The procedures to be used in the project are broken down in the following categories: 1. Pretreatment technology. The pretreatment of raw materials to release sugars for fermentation will be studied for a number of feedstocks including potatoes, grains, molasses, and fruits. The primary focus of the study is the use of processing enzymes for liquefaction (pectinases, cellulases, alpha-amylases) and saccarification (beta-amylases and glucoamylases). A collaboration has been established with Novozymes in Denmark to supply enzymes for the study. The sugar compositions will be monitored using HPLC. 2. Fermentation technology. Various yeast strains will be tested to determine optimal conditions for fermentation. The stains will be tested for speed and robustness (lack of infection by other organisms). The main objective is to match strains to the raw materials. The extend of fermentation will be monitored using GC, HPLC, and regfractometry. 3. Distillation technology. The MSU distillation facility established at Michigan Brewing Company will be used for distillation studies. Vodka and gin require more separation than most types of whiskey and brandy, so a larger ten try column will be installed in the facility. Christan Carl GmbH has donated a new column. The distillation will be monitored using a newly developed fast GC and conventinal GC. 4. Storage conditions. The effect of storage on final product will be studied. Two types of studies will be undertaken, namely glass storage and extractive sotrage (wood or wood chips). Reactions that occur during storage (oxidation, esterfication, and acetalization) will be monitored using GC and LC. The extraction rates from different woods will be monitored.