Vinegar - A Must Have

Vinegar is a familiar and ordinary item in the kitchen, now it becoming a must have household product. It is a sour- tasting liquid, used mostly in cooking as a culinary ingredient and as a condiment, and in pickling as a preservative. Since an advocacy of environmentally safe products, vinegar has become one of the top alternatives and has been at par based on popular demand with commercial cleaning and disinfecting products. 

What is Vinegar?

Vinegar is a sour liquid traditionally produced by fermentation of dilute alcoholic liquids, like wine, cider, or beer. This traditional fermentation process takes place slowly for few months, or even a year, where a natural biological processes of accumulation of a certain bacteria that oxidized ethanol to produce acetic acid. Another, faster method that takes only between 20 hours to three days, is by adding bacterial culture to the preferred liquid to promote fermentation and production of acetic acid.

The most important organic acid in our modern industrial times is acetic acid. It is also the main component of vinegar about 5-20% together with water and other trace chemicals. This organic acid gives vinegar not only its sour taste but also its acidic quality.  Acid is any compound that can easily lose a hydrogen ion, since a hydrogen ion is a simple proton, hence it is also called a proton donors, or sometimes electron. Acids react with bases and alkalis to form neutral compounds called salts. It is said to neutralize bases when they do this, as the common table salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) , formed when hydrochloric acids reacts and neutralized sodium hydroxide to sodium chloride and evaporated water. Vinegar cannot react corrosively that it could melt a penny but it is more acidic than an orange juice. It could melt a chicken’s egg shell in 48 hours but it is less acidic than gastric acid [1].

Types of Vinegar

There are dozens of different types of vinegar depends on the source of liquid. Varieties of vinegars have pH ranging from 2.6 to 6.0. Some may believe that some vinegar is alkaline-like, however and without a doubt vinegars are acids. They are weak acids in which it doesn’t lose it protons easily than strong acids. Here are some types of vinegar, commonly used and a must have in a pantry and/or a cleaning closet, or at least have a try.

1. White Vinegar

Among vinegars the white vinegar is quite unique as it is made of laboratory-produced acetic acid through fermentation of distillated alcohol, then diluted with water; hence the name and known for as “distilled white vinegar” or “distilled vinegar.”  The solution is compost of 5% to8% acetic acid in water and having a pH of 2.4 to 2.6. It is the most acidic among vinegars which makes it a good cleaner. As Dr. Rutala concluded in their study of natural cleaning products, undiluted vinegar is effective against two specific disease-causing microorganisms, which are S. Typhi and E. coli [2]. With its acidity it is a popular alternative for an environmentally safe cleaner and disinfectant. And so it is used in laboratory, and for medicinal and therapeutic reason. As a food ingredient it is commonly used in cooking, baking, and food preservation.

2. Balsamic Vinegar

This is the vinegar that prompted this article, great concern that  there are some cheap balsamic vinegar posing as the much expensive, marked, traditional, aged balsamic vinegar. The original and traditional balsamic vinegar is made from the concentrated juice of white Trebbiano grapes aged from 12 to 25 years, in successive variety of wood barrels, in the provinces of Italy [3]. Moreover, it has no balsam fruit in it. Importantly, it has a “Protected Designation of Origin” status and marked “tradizionale” or “DOC” this is to protect names and quality of regional agricultural products across European Union. This vinegar has a very dark brown, rich, sweet, mellow and complex, and notably aromatic. It usually has a pH of lower than 3, yet its acidic has been masked by the sweetness of other   ingredients. The cheaper non-DOC commercial form, also known as “aceto balsamico di Modena” or balsamic vinegar of Modena, is typically made from concentrated grape juice mixed with a strong vinegar, then coloured and slightly sweetened with caramel and sugar .    

Balsamic vinegar is used as a good quality food ingredient, from a salad dressing to marinades. It is used to add flavor and bring flavors together by using it to finish soups and sauce and braise dishes. It can be reduced to syrup and drizzled over vanilla ice cream or plain crepe. And a vinegar-based cocktails and soda are surely a healthier option.

3. Cider Vinegar 

Also known as apple cider vinegar or ACV is a type of vinegar made from cider or squeezed apple juices. It has a pale to medium amber color, while unpasteurized ACV has a cobweb-like appearance and slightly congealed as it contains cellulose and acetic acid-forming bacteria. It is used as a food ingredient such as a salad dressing, vinaigrettes, marinades and chutneys, as a food preservative in pickling, and as vinegar-based drinks.

4. Cane Vinegar

This type of vinegar is made from sugarcane juice, fermented either by slow or fast method. Well-known variations are from the Philippines, Brazil and India, but the kind of vinegar from the Philippines is the most appealing.  It ranges from dark yellow to golden brown in color. Similar to balsamic and rice vinegar, it has a mellow flavor, and much “fresher” taste compare to distilled white vinegar. It is mostly used as a food ingredient in vinegar-based stock for soup, dressing for raw fish dishes and marinades.  

Other Uses of Vinegar

1.  As cleaner and mild disinfectant:

• clean and disinfect cutting board
• clean, disinfect and neutralize chemicals on vegetable and fruits
• shine dishware and glassware
• clean pots and pans
• de-clog and deodorize drain
• dissolve and clean soap scum and brines or water stains deposit showerheads

2.  As an odor neutralizer:

• remove foul odor from drains, refrigerator, and microwave
• remove foul odor on clothes and  perspiration discoloration
• prevent and remove unpleasant smell produced by bacteria on the skin or body odor
• unmark pet spot

3.  As a fabric  softener:

• soften clothes and brighten colors

This is just a short introduction about vinegar, its different types and different uses.  A more detailed description on how to use vinegar as a cleaner and disinfectant, odor neutralizer and fabric softener will be available in the next cleaning tips blog post. Please watch out for it.

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As always keep it clean and simple. Enjoy!

References

1. Kinkead, E.B., Sehbai, D.S. & Tunney, C.J. (Eds.). (1972). Modern Century Illustrated Encyclopedia ( Vols. 9). Australia: McGraw-hill Far Eastern Publishers.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Last Updated February 2017.). Guidelines for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008.  Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/

3. Italia Regina. (n.d.). History of Balsamic Vinegar. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.italiaregina.it/balsamic-vinegar-aceto-balsamico-del-duca/