Yeast fermentation for production of neutral distilled spirits

Kirsty Black, Graeme Walker*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    8 Citations (Scopus)
    662 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    The production of neutral distilled spirits is increasing worldwide due to the popularity of beverages such as vodka and gin. Yeast fermentation lies at the heart of such production, but there are salient differences between the yeast strains employed for neutral spirits, as compared to those used in whisky, rum, and brandy fermentation. For example, the former white spirit processes aim to minimise the synthesis of flavour-active volatile compounds (or congeners), whilst the opposite is true for more flavoursome brown spirits such as whisky. This paper describes the raw materials, yeasts, and fermentation conditions involved in neutral spirit production processes and discusses challenges and opportunities in such technology, including exciting new developments regarding strategies to improve yeast strains.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number4927
    Number of pages17
    JournalApplied Sciences (Switzerland)
    Volume13
    Issue number8
    Early online date14 Apr 2023
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 14 Apr 2023

    Keywords

    • Yeast
    • Fermentation
    • Neutral spirits
    • Distilled alcohol
    • Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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