Sugar syrup for moonshine. The recipe for making inverted mash at home

Sugar is different. This trivial truth is known to every attentive consumer. The color, taste and actual sweetness of this product is not stable. There are a great many reasons for this, but today I don't want to talk about that. There is such a thing as sugar inversion.
What does it mean? Sweet organic matter under the collective name "sugar" has many faces. Its main types are grape sugar (glucose), fruit (fructose), cane and beet sugar (sucrose). The first two types are simple sugars or monosaccharides, and the third is a polysaccharide. One sucrose molecule is made up of glucose and fructose molecules joined together. By itself, sucrose is not used by living organisms (namely, with the help of such organisms, the fermentation process occurs), but only after breaking its molecule into a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule. This process is called sucrose hydrolysis or inversion. As a result, we get a product that is a mixture of mono and polysaccharides, similar in composition to natural honey (it is invert syrup that is often sold under the guise of honey by unscrupulous hucksters, and also quite conscientious beekeepers use it to feed bees, and they also replace honey in various confectionery products ). Yeast in the course of its life activity first expends energy on the hydrolysis of sucrose, and only then decomposes monosaccharides with the formation of alcohol and CO2. Thus, if instead of sugar syrup, yeast is offered invert syrup, it will be easier and easier for them to process it. This implies,

Barrel of honey. Well, it is clear that if you make life easier for the yeast, then fermentation will go faster. Since the fermentation process goes faster, then less harmful nasty things are picked up. The organoleptics of the mash has become better and the fermentation itself is accompanied by less stench. Many people write that the product from such a mash is “much” nicer, but in my personal experience there is not much difference. I think that the point here is the quality of the division of the apparatus - the higher it is, the less the final product depends on the quality of the mash. On the reccolon, in general, everything is leveled - you can work with head fractions from previous distillations. But when working on simple distillers, there is a difference. For brewing, the use of invert syrup is preferable, especially at the carbonization stage, but we are not talking about that now.

A spoon of tar. Well, firstly, as I said, there is not much difference in the quality of the final product. Sugar, he is sugar. Secondly, during the processing of the invert, hydroxymethylfurfural is formed, a thing that is very unpleasant in terms of its effect on the body. There is nothing fatal in this, everything can be separated to reasonable concentrations (otherwise we would never have recognized either whiskey or fruit distillates), but the fact remains. Thirdly, the preparation of invert syrup takes extra time. Fourth, it ferments faster, but ferments less, that is, the yield decreases.

Conclusion. For those who work with a normal mash column or make mash from sugar to obtain SS for subsequent rectification, you don’t have to bother with inverting sugar. If you have a simple device (even with a steamer 🙂), then you can try to improve the quality of the product by working on inverted sugar.

Recipe. Water (at the rate of 0.5 liters per kilogram of sugar) is heated to 60 °. Slowly add sugar, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and add citric acid in the amount of 2-4 grams per 1 kg of sugar (the amount of lemon is not hard, as it does not particularly affect the result - only the speed of the process, I did it by adjusting 15 grams to the standard packaging capacity). Further, maintain the heating at least 80 ° (it is not necessary to boil all the time, since the inverting process takes place at a temperature of 80 ° and an increase in this temperature also does not affect the quality, only the speed of the process. The inverting process should be carried out from 40 minutes to an hour (depending on (depending on the amount of lemon and heating temperature). Then pour the syrup into a fermentation tank filled with cold water, observing the total volume for reasons of hydromodulus (5: 1). The fermentation temperature should be about 30 °, the fermentation time should be about 2 days.

Attention! When lemons are added, a rapid, but short and without consequences, foaming occurs, it is not necessary to pour the syrup “up to the shoulders”, and it is inconvenient to pour later.

Moonshine is a real art. Little tricks have been accumulated by experienced moonshiners for years, but now every beginner can learn them, thanks to the availability of information. Inverted sugar syrup for home brew is optional, but worth the hassle. Let's figure out how to cook it and what advantages it gives from a practical point of view.

photo from the site http://samogonpil.ru

Why invert sugar for mash: arguments and counterarguments

The expediency of inverting is discussed in numerous communities and in specialized forums. Heated debates never led to the birth of truth, so some people prepare syrup for the wort, while others prefer to do without “dancing with tambourines”.

Process Chemistry

Beet sugar is chemically the disaccharide sucrose. To ensure the vital activity of yeast, monosaccharides are necessary, as the most accessible form of carbohydrates. Inversion is performed in order to hydrolyze sucrose into two monosaccharide molecules - glucose and fructose. The reaction is catalyzed by heat and acid.

The final decision is made for each moonshiner, and, as a rule, comes to him empirically. If you have prepared mash from invert sugar, the pros and cons of this method will be felt both during fermentation and during distillation.

photo from http://chemistry-chemists.com

pros

Moonshiners note the following advantages of using invert:

• No unpleasant odor during fermentation. When preparing ordinary mash, the room is filled with a characteristic aroma, which is not always appropriate. According to reviews, invert syrup is fermented without an unpleasant odor.

• Fermentation acceleration. Due to the fact that the wort contains monosaccharides, the yeast processes carbohydrates much faster, since no time is wasted on their hydrolysis. There is no definite answer to the question of how much mash roams on inverted sugar, since the time depends on the type of raw material, because fruit species are longer. But compared to cooking with crystalline sugar, the mash will be ready 2-3 days earlier. Sugar mash will be ready after 48-72 hours.

• Preservation of the organoleptics of the feedstock. The taste and aroma of fruit or grain moonshine is fully manifested, slightly complemented by honey notes. Therefore, it is advisable to cook mash on fruit or starch-containing raw materials with inverted sugar.

• Disinfection. In the process of preparation, sugar undergoes a long heat treatment, which destroys the microorganisms contained in the sugar.

• Greater product yield. The amount of fusel oils in the mash is reduced due to rapid fermentation, which allows you to cut off the tails later, and get a greater yield of moonshine from a unit volume of mash. This moment matters only for ordinary moonshine stills, distillation columns are not sensitive to impurities.

photo from www.ridus.ru

Minuses

Despite the obvious and numerous advantages, invert sugar mash is not without its negative points, among which it is worth noting:

• Additional time and effort. The cooking process is simple, but it will take more than an hour of your time.

• furfural formation. From the complex carbohydrate hemicellulose, which is contained in plant cells, the toxic substance furfural is formed during hydrolysis. High concentrations of this toxin irritate mucous membranes and skin.

Assess the danger correctly

There is little hemicellulose in crystalline sugar, so dangerous concentrations of furfural are not formed. Any jam contains more of this toxin, but does not pose a threat of poisoning. So when inverting sugar for mash, the harm of furfural can be ignored.

Inverted sugar syrup for mash: how to cook without mistakes

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Preparing the syrup is extremely simple, and special knowledge is not required for this. At the first preparation, you will have to check the recipe, but in the future you will adapt to combine this process with the rest of the chores, and the total cooking time will increase slightly.

You will need the following ingredients:

• sugar - 1 kg;
• water - 0.5 l;
• citric acid - 5 g.

The recipe is deliberately given for 1 kg of sugar, so that it can be easily recalculated for any volume of mash and hydromodule. First, choose a suitable container - it should be heat-resistant dishes, for example, a saucepan. Do not use an aluminum pan as the syrup may darken. After mixing all the ingredients, 1/3 of the free space should remain in the pan. The inversion of sugar for mash consists of the following steps:

1. Heat water almost to a boil and add sugar to it.
2. Stir the mixture until smooth and place the saucepan over medium heat.
3. Boil the syrup for 10 minutes, avoiding boiling, periodically removing a thin foam from its surface.
4. Carefully and little by little add the citric acid, as the chemical reaction will be accompanied by intense foaming.
5. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down so the syrup doesn't boil. The liquid temperature should not exceed 95⁰С.
6. Boil it for 1 hour, then leave to cool.

Cooking time may be less, so check readiness after 30-40 minutes. To do this, drop a couple of drops of syrup into water, and if they form threads in it, then the pan can be removed from the heat.

photo from http://mysecretshobby.blogspot.com

A lot of controversy raises the question of whether citric acid should be neutralized with alkali. To answer it, you should understand the optimal acidity of the mash. Yeast fungi develop only in a moderately acidic environment, with a pH level of 3.7-5.8. But moonshine requires a pH of less than 4.2 to suppress the activity of lactic acid bacteria.

During fermentation, there is a tendency for the pH to shift to the acid side, so neutralizing the citric acid is a good idea. Add 1.25 grams of baking soda for every gram of acid - 1 tsp is required in our example. without a slide.

Devices with an aluminum cube are sensitive to sodium bicarbonate, so for them it is better to replace a teaspoon of soda with 2 tsp. powdered chalk.

Braga from invert sugar: a recipe for an original drink

In principle, the sugar in any recipe can be inverted beforehand, keeping the recommended proportions of the ingredients. If you have a proven recipe, feel free to use it. For those who are just learning moonshine, below is a simple recipe for sugar mash.

Hydromodule calculation

photo from http://howmuchsugar.net/

Even before you invert sugar for mash, you should correctly calculate its amount. Hydromodulus is the ratio of sugar to water at which the yeast can completely convert it into ethanol. The optimal ratio differs depending on the yeast strain used:

• Baker's yeast works up to 14% alcohol concentration, which is achieved with a water ratio of 1:5.

• Alcoholic yeast brings the mash to 18% strength, so more sugar is needed. The hydromodule recommended for them is 1:4.

• Turbo yeast is used to speed up fermentation, and allows you to get up to 20⁰ alcohol. A ratio of 1:3.5 is usually used, but some manufacturers recommend 1:3.

List of ingredients

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The quantity of ingredients is given per 1 kg of sugar so that you can easily adapt it to the fermentation containers you have. Regardless of whether or not invert sugar is used for mash, the recipe is as follows:

• Sugar - 1 kg;
• Water - 4 l;
• Dry yeast - 20 g, or 100 g pressed.

Keep in mind that the volume of water is indicated without taking into account those 0.5 liters that will be used to invert sugar for mash - the proportions in this case are drawn up with an eye to the evaporation of water during the boiling of the syrup.

Yeast activation

Yeast should be fermented in order to speed up fermentation, and at the same time check for viability, because low-quality raw materials are not so rare. Moreover, there is a whole hour of time while sugar is being inverted for mash.

1. Take 200 ml of water from the total.
2. Dissolve 1 tablespoon in it. sugar and heat to 30⁰С.
3. Pour in or crumble the yeast, stir until smooth.
4. Leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
5. Yeast foam forms on the surface, indicating the work of yeast fungi.

If during the specified period of time the yeast did not ferment, then you came across a product with an expired shelf life or poor quality. It is better not to use them, as fermentation may not start at all or be significantly delayed.

photo from the site http://mywom.ru

Mixing components

Another debatable question is whether it is worth cooling invert sugar for mash before use. Proponents of cooling appeal to the fact that at temperatures above 40 ° C, yeast fungi die. But when you mix hot syrup and cool water, you get just the right wort temperature.

• Prepare a suitable container. Its volume should be 1/3 more than the amount of wort to leave enough space for foaming.

• Pour water into a container and add inverted syrup to it, stir until smooth.

• Add activated yeast, stir the wort, and add top dressing, such as crumbled brown bread or tomato paste.

• Close the bottle with a water seal, go put on a medical glove with a pierced finger. Since the glove often breaks off during active fermentation, secure it with a rubber band.

• Insulate the container and put in a warm place without access to the sun. Shake the contents daily in a circular motion without removing the water seal.

Now it remains only to wait for the mash to be ready for distillation and make sure that the foam does not flow out. If the foaming is too intense, and threatens to stain everything around, crumble one cookie into a bottle or add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Signs of readiness of mash

photo from the site http://tonnasamogona.ru

It is extremely important to determine in time that the mash is ready. Starting distillation too early, you will get a smaller yield of moonshine and more impurities in it. And the delay in distillation threatens that after alcoholic fermentation, acetic fermentation will follow, during which ethanol will turn into acid, and the mash will only be poured out. Distillation should begin with the following signs of the end of fermentation:

• bitter alcoholic taste, without sweet notes;
• the glove on the neck was blown off or the water seal was silent;
• foaming has stopped;
• the upper layers of the liquid began to lighten;
• a yeast sediment fell out at the bottom;
• a match brought to Braga continues to burn;
• alcoholmeter readings more than 11;
• hydrometer readings less than 1.002.

For reliable results, check several criteria. Before measuring the density of the mash with a hydrometer, it must be filtered through several layers of gauze.

Clarification of mash: getting ready for distillation

photo from the site http://forum.homedistiller.ru

Do not neglect this stage, as this has a positive effect on the organoleptic qualities of moonshine. For clarification of mash are used:

• white clay (bentonite);
• gelatin;
• cooling down to -3⁰С or heating up to +50⁰;
• hibiscus tea;
• lemon acid;
• milk;
• alcohol (or tailings from a previous distillation).

A specific technique is selected based on the components at hand, but bentonite is most often used, since it does not react with mash and does not change its taste:

1. For 1 liter of liquid, ½ tsp is required. bentonite.
2. Dry the clay in the oven and grind it into powder using a coffee grinder.
3. Gradually add hot water to get the consistency of kefir.
4. Leave the mixture for 5 minutes, then stir again.
5. Pour the solution into the mash and stir until completely dissolved.
6. Leave the container for sedimentation.
7. Drain clean mash through a flexible hose.

It will clearly show how mash is prepared on inverted sugar, a video in which the author will tell a recipe using barley malt.

Now you not only know how to properly invert sugar for mash, but also what to do with the finished syrup further so that moonshine pleases with softness and purity.

Inverting sugar for mash makes it possible to change the moonshine brewing process by modifying the raw materials. Such processing is not mandatory, but is considered solely as an alternative to the standard process.

As a result of inverting, it occurs earlier than usual, the unpleasant smell of the mass decreases, and the resulting distillate better conveys the flavoring properties of the raw material. The technology is quite simple and inexpensive, but requires compliance with a number of rules, which must be familiarized with for effective application in practice.

Inverting sugar for mash is an auxiliary treatment to make it easier for yeast bacteria to process. The essence of the process is the artificial splitting of sucrose molecules obtained from beets or cane into glucose and fructose molecules.

To invert sugar for mash, citric acid is added to it, catalyzing the decomposition process, and their aqueous solution is exposed to high temperatures, which, like acid, promote decomposition.

As a result of the processing of the disaccharide - sucrose - the nutrient medium improves, as a result, the yeast quickly absorbs the substances necessary for growth, and the preparation time for the mash is reduced.

Inverting is not the only method to speed up the fermentation of sugar mash.

What does it affect

The transformation of raw materials affects many aspects, to positive consequences can be attributed:

Reducing the characteristic smell of the mash mass during maturation.

Throughout the entire fermentation period, yeast releases substances - waste products that have an unpleasant odor, which is why they try to keep the container in a separate room. Inverting sugar leads to the almost complete elimination of this phenomenon.

Fermentation acceleration.

This is the main advantage and the main consequence of the decomposition of sucrose - a disaccharide - into constituent monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. Since the hydrolysis was carried out artificially using a catalyst, the time spent on inversion is less than what the yeast needs to naturally decompose sucrose.

In concrete terms, sugar mash becomes ready for distillation 2-3 days after laying, which is on average 2-3 days faster than under normal conditions.

Less distortion of flavoring qualities of raw materials.

The smell and taste of moonshine made from grain or “fruit mash” is much closer to the original raw material than moonshine from non-inverted sugar, in addition, an additional honey flavor appears, which is why the use of inversion is most relevant for fruit or starch-containing raw materials.

Disinfection.

Under prolonged exposure to high temperature in sugar, all microorganisms present in it die.

Increased distillate yield.

When using inverted raw materials, less fusel oils and impurities are formed, which are a by-product of the vital activity of yeast. As a result, the volume of "cut-off tails" decreases and the product yield increases.

This indicator is of great importance for standard moonshine stills without a distillation column, which levels the difference in the amount of impurities.

In addition to the positive aspects, inverting has its drawbacks:

For the hydrolysis of raw materials will have to spend time and effort.

The increased content of furfural.

During the inversion of raw materials, in addition to the decomposition of sucrose, there is a transformation of another substance, also contained in sugar - hemicellulose.

As a result, one of the newly formed substances is furfural, a toxic substance that can irritate the mucous membranes of the body. However, there are different opinions on this matter.

The fact is that furfural is also formed in the manufacture of ordinary jam, from eating which no one has yet suffered. Perhaps this is due to the fact that its content in the body cannot reach critical levels when such products are consumed in normal quantities.

How to make invert sugar syrup for mash

In fact, the process of processing sugar is very simple.

In the first brew, it is better to stick to the borrowed recipe, but in the future, many distillers experiment with the amount of ingredients, trying to get the best possible solution and create a “own recipe”, where without creativity.

To spend invert sugar for mash, you will need such components in proportion to 1 kg of sugar: half a liter of water and 5 g of citric acid. In addition, you will need suitable container for cooking on the stove.

When citric acid is added, vigorous foaming will begin, so the solution should not fill the container to the brim, this must also be taken into account and a container should be chosen with a margin of about 1/3.

Important! Aluminum utensils should not be used for inverting due to the metal's susceptibility to darkening from contact with citric acid.

1. Water is heated to a state close to boiling, the optimum temperature is 93 C degrees. If you want to carry out an ideal inversion, you will need a thermometer sewn into a capsule and lowered into a liquid.
2. The solution is kneaded to a homogeneous consistency and left on medium heat for about 10 minutes, while it is necessary to prevent the liquid from boiling and remove the resulting foam.
3. After the set time has passed, citric acid is added to the liquid, this must be done carefully and slowly. If the powder is poured in too quickly, an excessively violent reaction will follow with the formation of foam, and the contents of the container will splash over the edge.
4. Next, the pan is covered with a lid, and the fire is screwed to such a level that the syrup does not boil. The maximum allowable temperature is 95 C degrees.
5. The syrup is boiled for about 60 minutes, but it’s worth starting to check its readiness after 30-40. To check, you need to drop a few drops into the water. If threads form, the product is ready.
6. At the end of the process, the container is removed from the fire and left to cool.

There is a lot of controversy about the need to neutralize citric acid after boiling with alkali.

In order to understand the essence of the matter, one must first find out what - acidity of mash - is optimal. Needed for yeast fungi moderately acidic environment from 3.7 to 5.8 pH. But for specifics moonshine requires an environment of no more than 4.2 pH, otherwise lactic acid bacteria will not be suppressed and the mash will stop fermenting ahead of time.

Considering that during fermentation the medium becomes more acidic by default, and citric acid will make it more acidic at the start, this can lead to undesirable consequences, which means it is better to neutralize it. To do this, for each gram of citric acid added, 1.25 g of baking soda is added, the solution of which is slowly poured into the inverted syrup. For some time, foam will form on the surface, after the end of the process, the solution is ready for distillation.

Summary

It is difficult to evaluate all the processes that take place when sugar is inverted, but the fact that furfural is formed in quantities that are not hazardous to health is clear from the fact that jam has not yet been banned, for which sugar boiled with fruits or berries is spent no less.

Otherwise, inversion brings several significant advantages: it speeds up fermentation, simplifies distillation for apparatuses without a distillation column, reduces the unpleasant odor from the fermentation process, and makes the distillate taste cleaner and more expressive.

Of course, this requires time and effort, but otherwise the costs do not increase, which makes the technique extremely attractive.

Sugar inversion is the separation of the sucrose molecule in cane or beet sugar into two components, glucose and sucrose. This is carried out by heating to 80 ° C and above with the addition of citric acid. This component acts as a catalyst for the reaction. Such a syrup is very similar in structure and appearance to natural honey, which is used by unscrupulous sellers.

On thematic forums, the use of invert sugar for mash is one of the most discussed topics. Some moonshiners prefer to use sugar syrup in all recipes, while others do without “dancing with a tambourine”, because they assure that this is of no use. To understand the truth, it is enough to independently prepare two types of distillate and compare them. You can also explore the advantages and disadvantages of inverting sugar for mash.

Pros:

1. No unpleasant odor. In the process of fermentation of mash, to which ordinary sugar is added, an unpleasant characteristic odor appears. But in the case of wort syrup, this nuance is absent.
2. Fast reaction. Thanks to monosaccharides, yeast converts carbohydrates into alcohol much faster, since in this case additional time costs for their hydrolysis are not required. It is difficult to accurately determine the time difference, since fermentation depends primarily on the composition of the mash, but on average it is 2-4 days.

1. The organoleptic properties of the must are preserved. If the recipe for mash on inverted sugar with berries, grains or fruits was used, the taste and aroma of the ingredients will be transferred to the finished product as much as possible, but at the same time it will be slightly supplemented with notes of honey.
2. Disinfection. Due to the fact that granulated sugar is processed at elevated temperatures, harmful microorganisms are eliminated in it.
3. Increasing the volume of the final product. Since the invert syrup promotes accelerated fermentation, the amount of fusel oils in the must is reduced, and therefore waste.

Despite the obvious advantages, the use of invert sugar syrup for mash was not without drawbacks.

Minuses:

1. Waste of time and effort. In order to understand how to invert sugar for mash and the cooking process itself, it takes a lot of time. The recipe is not particularly difficult, but it can take more than 1 hour of free time.
2. furfural formation. This component has a unique aroma of almonds, but it belongs to toxic substances. If there is a high concentration of content in moonshine, the mucous membrane and epidermis will begin to irritate when consumed.

For reference! In the process of boiling the syrup, furfural is formed - an aldehyde with the smell of fresh rye bread or almonds. In high concentration, it is an extremely toxic derivative, but it is produced too little when inverted. For comparison, in ordinary jam it is 10% more

But here it is enough to recall any homemade jam, in which the level of toxin saturation is much higher than in manufactured alcohol.

VIDEO: What is the difference between mash on prepared syrup and regular sugar?

Cooking method

Before you make an invert syrup for moonshine, you should correctly calculate the proportions. Otherwise, the mixture will turn out to be either too liquid or crystallize, and such a product is no longer suitable for use.

• drinking water - 500 ml;
• granulated sugar - 1 kg;
• citric acid - 5 gr.

These values ​​can be used as a basis for calculating any volume of raw materials. It is not recommended to use aluminum pans in the process of preparing invert sugar, in which the mixture will acquire a darker shade, moreover, in the future the pan will no longer be washed.

After mixing all the components in the container, at least 1/3 of the free space should remain.

Steps for making invert sugar:

• heat the water, without bringing to a boil, stir in the granulated sugar;
• stir the mixture until a homogeneous consistency is obtained and switch the fire to a medium level;
• cook the ingredients for 10 minutes, while making sure that the syrup does not boil;
• remove the resulting foam cap;
• gradually add citric acid in small portions;
• cover with a lid and switch the stove to low heat so that the liquid does not boil.

The process of further cooking should last for 1 hour, but 20 minutes before the end, it is recommended to periodically check the syrup for readiness. To do this, scoop up the liquid with a spoon and lift it up - the thread should be viscous and not tear - if this happens, it's time to remove the container from the stove.

Acid neutralization algorithm

There is an opinion that citric acid must be quenched with soda. Perhaps this process will not be superfluous. For our recipe, you need to use 1.25 gr for each gram of lemon. baking soda. Approximately it will come out 1 tsp.

If the distillation cube consists of aluminum, the soda will need to be replaced with ground chalk (2 tsp). This is justified by the increased sensitivity of the alloy to sodium bicarbonate.

• dilute soda in a small amount of water;
• after dissolving the crystals, pour the liquid into the finished inverted syrup;
• mix thoroughly until the formation of foam stops completely.

The process of neutralizing citric acid is not considered mandatory. The acidity must be present in the mash, not exceeding a certain value. This indicator can only be detected using a pH meter. Not all moonshiners have such a measuring device, and it is simply impossible to calculate pH by external parameters or taste. If you do not apply any of the methods with an increased level of acidity, the mash will cook longer.

After the invert sugar moonshine is ready, the moonshiner will feel how much softer the taste, less pronounced aroma and pleasant aftertaste will be during the tasting.

some chemistry

According to the chemical composition, refined beet sugar consists of 99% sucrose (disaccharide).

Cane has exactly the same composition, so claims about its greater usefulness and less harm to the body are nothing more than a marketing ploy.

To activate the yeast, you need a simpler form of carbohydrates - monosaccharides. Inversion of regular sugar is carried out to split sucrose into 2 main molecules - fructose and glucose. The role of crystallizers in this case is high temperature and citric acid.

Based on the advantages and disadvantages, it becomes clear that these factors are more noticeable during fermentation and distillation. Also, the use of syrup slightly affects the taste of the product.

Preparation of raw materials without furfural

As already known, the toxic component is formed during boiling, when the temperature regime reaches a value above 80°C. To reduce its amount, you need to prepare syrup, not exceeding 60-70 ° C.

Since the intensity of heating is less, the cooking time increases from one hour to two. Raise the temperature to 80°C 30 minutes before cooking. After boiling, the pan is removed and wrapped in a warm blanket for 40 minutes. The result is invert sugar with a small amount of toxins.

It should be noted that you can simplify the cooking process with the help of a multicooker. The device allows you to set the desired temperature and turn off timer. Also, keeping the syrup in a closed slow cooker will eliminate the need to wrap the pan with a blanket, because. it retains heat well.

VIDEO: Cooking technology without the formation of furfural

Moonshine has long ceased to be a simple way to get alcohol, turning into a real art. Moonshiners are constantly improving the techniques for preparing an alcoholic drink, trying to make its taste softer and more original. One way to get high-quality alcohol is to invert sugar for mash.

The manufacture of moonshine is based on the fermentation of sugary substances under the influence of a yeast fungus. Yeast breaks down sugar into simpler saccharides, which are then converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In order for the fermentation of sugar to go faster, and the moonshine to turn out to be of better quality, a preliminary inversion is carried out.

Sugar inversion is a chemical process that is accompanied by the breakdown (hydrolysis) of one sucrose molecule in beet or cane sugar into two molecules of fructose and glucose. This forced chemical reaction can be carried out at home using the simplest and most affordable substances.

Important! The catalysts for the hydrolysis of sugar are citric acid and high temperatures above 80 °C.

How to invert with citric acid?

Masters of home brewing are still entering into discussions about the advisability of inverting sugar for home brew. Whether or not you should resort to such technology, each owner decides for himself. To do this, it is enough to compare two types of moonshine - inverted and non-inverted, evaluating their softness, purity and strength.

First you need to decide on the amount of alcohol that you plan to get by moonshine. This will help measure out the right amount of sugar, water and citric acid.

Important! From 1 kg of sugar, on average, 1 liter of moonshine with a strength of 40 ° is obtained.

For every kilogram of sugar you need to take:

• 0.5 l of water;
• 3-4 g of citric acid.

The amount of citric acid affects only the inversion speed and does not affect the taste of the drink.

Since the reaction is accompanied by an active release of foam, you should choose a capacious container for the mash. After mixing all the ingredients, it should be filled no more than two-thirds.

Description of the inverting process step by step:

1. Pour all the required volume of water into the selected container and heat it to a temperature of 70-80 ° C.
2. Add all the sugar in small portions, stirring the mixture vigorously.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil, cook for 10 minutes, constantly removing the white foam that appears on the surface. The output should be a sugar syrup of a uniform golden hue.
4. Reduce the fire on the stove to a minimum. Very slowly, in several crystals, add citric acid to the composition, constantly stirring the liquid. It is impossible to add all the acid at once, otherwise the mixture will begin to foam strongly and flow out of the tank.
5. When the foam goes to a minimum, you can cover the container with a lid and leave the composition on fire to boil for 1.5-2 hours at a temperature of 95-100 ° C.
6. Cool the finished inverted syrup to room temperature and place in a fermentation container along with yeast, water and other ingredients. When laying the main ingredients, it must be remembered that part of the sugar has already been added to the composition.

In order for a drink based on inverted syrup to demonstrate excellent qualities, it is necessary to carefully prepare the water for the composition. If tap water is used, it must be allowed to stand for several days and carefully drained without affecting the sediment. You cannot boil water for moonshine. To purify the liquid, you can use a carbon filter, a household filter, pass it through a cation exchanger or sulfonated coal.

Important! Careful observance of the inverting technology will allow you to get the “correct” syrup, reminiscent of natural honey in appearance and composition.

Some moonshine masters recommend neutralizing some of the citric acid in the resulting syrup with baking soda. Thus, a moderately acidic environment favorable for the functioning of the yeast will be obtained. For one gram of citric acid, you need one teaspoon without a slide of baking soda.

But many owners prefer to leave the syrup in its original form, since citric acid gives the composition pleasant aromatic notes.

Video: how to make syrup at home

Watch a video that shows how to invert sugar for mash with your own hands:

Pros and cons of the process

The forced breakdown of sugar has its advantages and disadvantages, which can be studied before resorting to this chemical reaction.

Benefits of inverting sugar:

• Sugar undergoes heat treatment and is released from pathogenic microflora. This allows you to protect the mash from infection with microbes without spoiling the final product.
• Braga, under the influence of an inverted substance, ripens faster and accumulates less harmful compounds that are the end product of the vital activity of a yeast fungus.
• Sweet syrup helps to get rid of the sharp and not always pleasant smell of mash, to make the final product more pleasant and soft in taste.

• Fast fermentation reduces the amount of fusel oil in the mash, which allows you to collect more of the finished product, cutting off the leftovers later.
• Completely fermented mash acquires a pleasant sweetish aftertaste without losing the proper strength.

There are also opponents of additional manipulations with syrup, who believe that there is no need to invert sugar.

What are the disadvantages of the process:

• It takes extra time and physical effort to prepare the syrup, although as a result, the fermentation time is halved.
• In the process of inversion, the chemical compound furfural is formed. This substance has toxic properties and, at a high concentration in products, can irritate the mucous membranes and skin.

Important! Homemade jam and marmalade contains much more furfural than invert sugar. Therefore, the danger of syrup in moonshine for human health is exaggerated.

• In some cases, there is a lower yield of finished moonshine using inverted sugar.

Practice shows that mash prepared using invert technology has much more advantages. The method should be used by those moonshiners who prefer softer alcoholic drinks, devoid of harsh odors and aromas of yeast.

The technology will help you get the perfect alcohol on dried apples, cranberries, red and chokeberry, grapes and even bananas. And adherents of classic moonshine methods can be advised to try to prepare an inverted drink at least once in order to make their own judgment about the original recipe.