Manufacturing of balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is a versatile addition to any kitchen or dining table. Its distinctive agrodolce flavor creates a unique flavor profile for vegetables, salads, cheeses, and meats. Traditional balsamic vinegar is homemade vinegar produced in Italy, by traditional method in surface culture fermentation.

Traditionally Balsamic vinegar is made from cooked Trebbiano and/or Lambrusco grape which have been pressed and then reduced by heat in an open vat for some 24 to 36 hours. The raw material of this cooked grape must having a content of soluble solids (above all glucose and fructose) ranging from 20 to 60°Bx and pH values of 2.3–3.2.

As with other vinegars, it is obtained by a two-stage fermentation process. In the first one fermentable sugars are converted into ethanol by yeasts obtaining ethanol content between 4 and 10%.

While in the second stage, AAB (acetic acid bacteria) oxidize the ethanol to acetic acid. Both stages occur by spontaneous fermentation. The process is carried out through a set of 5/7 wood barrels arranged in a series of decreasing volume that are open to the elements with a small rectangular hole in the top of the barrel. Barrels are traditionally made from Cherry, Oak, Mulberry, Ash and Juniper wood.

A volume of final product is withdrawn from the smallest barrel (barrel 1) and replaced with equal volume of product from the barrel immediately preceding in the set, the same is done for each intermediate barrel; the first one (barrel 5) receives new cooked must. This procedure, known as to “refilling”, is done once per year. The production and maturation process can take up to 12 years to complete and are subject to legislative supervision and approval.
Manufacturing of balsamic vinegar

Food processing: Pickling

Pickling is a traditional craft that has been practiced for generations. There are a few different methods for pickling various types of foods: by using vinegar, salt or brine.

Vinegar
Pickling preserves food by acidification of food products through the addition of acid and/or fermentation. The preferred solution for pickling is distilled vinegar.

Vinegar is often used because the acidity of the vinegar keeps many microorganisms in check. Pickling changes the texture, color and flavor of the vegetables like cucumbers to create pickles.

Salt
Pickling using salt is primarily a method used for fermentation. Salt is used to process foods as cabbage that once salted has enough natural moisture to produce a brine.

The amount of salt in the brine is carefully adjusted so that the brine will ferment and produce lactic acid, the substance that actually performs the pickling.
Food processing: Pickling