Requirments for vodka manufacturing

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Dear friends,

Can you give me information as for normative document that regulating vodka chemical properties of GNA for vodka manufacturing and for vodka itself. I mean content of aldehydes, esters, isopropanol and other compounds and so on. In the US, of course.

Thanks in advance.

[daveflintstone]

There is no regulation for this.

[Valerii_Fedorov]

thank you very much indeed, but vodka is quite complex mixture of organic compounds, and thiers content have to meet the requirements, for example content of aldehydes, methanol and so on. Regarding of GNA and vodka as well. Such kind of regulation take place in Europe. There are appointed limits of content organic compounds in vodka, wine and fruit brandy and so on. For instance, content of acetaldehyde in pure vodka in Russia should to be no more than 3 mg\liter (ppm), in Ukraine 4 ppm.

[daveflintstone]

There is no regulation for this IN THE U.S.

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Thank you.

Please, can you explain what does mean Quantitation Limit in the table:

http://www.ttb.gov/ssd/pdf/tm200.pdf

?

Thanks in advance.

[daveflintstone]

• 
  "The quantitation limit of an individual analytical procedure is the lowest amount of analyte in a sample which can be quantitatively determined with suitable precision and accuracy. The quantitation limit is a parameter of quantitative assays for low levels of compounds in sample matrices, and is used particularly for the determination of impurities and/or degradation products."
  

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Thank you, daveflinstone.

Here more detailed information as for description such terms as Limit of Blank (LoB), Limit of Detection (LoD), and Limit of Quantitation (LoQ):

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2556583/

Nonetheless, i did not understand-why to measure content of these organic compounds in vodka (for instance) if there are not any maximum permissable amounts to compare?

[Roger]

Response to my query on this issue:

Thank you for your inquiry.

Other than what is stated in our method, there is no designated maximum level of fusel oils at this time. Vodkas, in particular, should have very little to no fusel oils present.

If you have any additional questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Leticia

Leticia Drakeford

US Department of the Treasury

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)

Beverage Alcohol Laboratory

6000 Ammendale Road

Beltsville, MD 20705

240-264-1587 (office)

202-453-2648 (fax) <NEW>

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Thank you very much indeed.

[bluestar]

I suppose the assumption is that if you make vodka per the US standard, by distillation to greater than 190 proof and subsequent (diluted) filtration (usually in charcoal), there is unlikely to be very much of anything left in the vodka but alcohol and water. European standard of vodka is very different, you can have significant amount of congeners in the product. But not in the US, or at least, not easily.

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Thank you bluestar, but as GNS (or other spirit) as well as vodka after charcoal treatment espesially contain dozens of organic compounds such as different spirits, aldehydes, including unsaturated and aromatic ones, esters, semi- and full acetals, carbonic acids, terpens, diacetyl and so on. Sometimes even extremelly small content of, for instance, diacetyl or croton aldehyde gives in vodka very burning taste. But there are also organic compounds that introduce in vodka positive organoleptic properties, not to mention that spirit and water is not simply spirit and water in itself, but spirit-water is elaborate physico-chemical system...

[daveflintstone]

I give up

[Michaelangelo]

I think we all need to agree that there are differences in the metrics employed as to what constitutes Vodka. Valerii, you should just concentrate on making the best product by your country's standards. When it is time to export submit your samples to TTB and let them tell you what you need to do. Until then, you are really just guessing.

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Ok, my Customers are in different countries of the world. Now i am trying also to install our technologies in US. Of course in Ukraine, Russia reguirements to vodka as a product are more strict than in US.

[bluestar]

Correct, and what everyone has been trying to tell you is that there are no specific requirements for most of these trace congeners in the US. Noone is disputing they don't affect flavor, just pointing out they are not regulated by the TTB. If you want anything more specific, talk to the TTB.

[Valerii_Fedorov]

Thank you all for for expressing your opinions.