And it is perfectly okay to consume since the bacteria are known to be good ones and therefore pose no threat. So from all that we’ve learnt, the mother of apple cider vinegar is roughly a cluster of acetic acid bacteria, with some form of cellulose in it. In submerged fermentation for example, mother vinegar may take on the shape of small globules which are still produced as a result of the fermentation of alcohol by acetic acid bacteria. It is good to quickly note that mother vinegar can vary in appearance depending on the method of fermentation employed.
The acetic acid bacteria that feeds on alcohol to produce acetic acid now decides it’s time to collect together and form into a mass which would further enhance their ability to better respire, survive, and more importantly make more vinegar. How this film forms on the surface is pretty simple. That’s the mother of vinegar you’re seeing right there, and its presence is very crucial for the fermentation process to complete. In reference to the earlier experiment, simply allowing the cup of alcohol to sit around undisturbed for a few more days will result in a by-product that is really sour, formally known as vinegar.īut happening more importantly at this stage is the formation of a thin coating at the surface of the juice which eventually settles at the bottom. This acetic acid is to a great extent, what gives vinegar its characteristic strong aroma and flavor.
#What is the mother in apple cider vinegar free
In the second process, which is acetous fermentation of the resulting liquid from the former process, acetic acid bacteria are introduced (naturally or as specific cultures) to react with ethanol (alcohol) in the presence of free oxygen in order to give rise to acetic acid which vinegar is known for. Yeast (microbes) which are ubiquitous to the surrounding find their way into the fruit juice and eat some of its sugar, there by giving rise to alcohol. Understanding what happened to the cup of fruit juice is pretty simple. This is exactly what is meant by the alcoholic fermentation of fruit juice at the basic level. When you have a shot, you’ll notice from the taste and physiological effects it has on you, that that’s pretty much alcohol. Here’s a quick experiment to help you understand better, when next you extract fresh juice out of a mash of apple or orange fruit, let some of it sit around in a cup undisturbed for a few days. In alcoholic fermentation, sugar is converted into alcohol in the presence of yeast. First is the alcoholic fermentation of fruit juice (in the presence of yeast) and second is the acetous fermentation of the liquid derived thereof (in the presence of acetic acid bacteria).
In the production of vinegar, two biotechnological processes or rather, fermentation processes take place. The mother in apple cider vinegar is what forms during acetic fermentation of juice after it has undergone alcoholic fermentation. What is the mother in apple cider vinegar? Some voices in the health community actually consider the mother to be the healthiest part of the mix, although till this very moment, there isn’t clear cut evidence to cement such claim as an undisputable fact. The “mother” in apple cider vinegar is the clustering of a bacteria known as Acetobacter aceti during alcohol fermentation in the production of vinegar, and according to trusted authorities, it is perfectly safe to consume without fear of any negative side effect. It could be a huge one for that matter, and we shall discuss that over the course of this article. Rather, there may be a specific benefit of it, albeit not convincingly established. Regardless of whichever name we opt to call this foggy looking entity, anyways, one thing is always acknowledged, and it’s the fact that the fog neither signifies spoilage nor does it cause any harm when ingested into the body. More pristinely, it is referred to as the mother of vinegar. During the formulation of apple cider vinegar (ACV), a complex carbohydrate of slightly congealed appearance is always birthed.