Is there alcohol in apple cider vinegar

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the presence of alcohol in apple cider vinegar, specifically Bragg's brand. Participants explore the potential for ethanol and other alcohols in vinegar, share personal experiences, and question the implications of consuming vinegar for anxiety relief.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether Bragg's apple cider vinegar contains alcohol, noting a calming effect after consumption.
  • Another participant asserts that if alcohol is not listed on the label, it should not be present, suggesting that the company would not mislead consumers.
  • A participant clarifies that vinegar primarily consists of acetic acid and water, implying minimal alcohol content.
  • Some participants propose that while ethanol may be present in trace amounts, it is unlikely to have significant physiological effects.
  • There is a discussion about the broader definition of alcohol, which includes various compounds beyond ethanol, and their presence in natural products.
  • Several participants mention the occurrence of alcohol production in the human gut, referencing cases of "auto-brewery syndrome" where fermentation leads to intoxication from food consumption.
  • One participant inquires about the specific amounts of ethanol in apple cider vinegar and whether it could produce any noticeable effects.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the presence and significance of alcohol in apple cider vinegar. While some agree that trace amounts may exist, there is no consensus on the implications or the exact quantities involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of defining "alcohol" and the potential for varying amounts in different products, but specific measurements and effects remain unresolved.

lesah
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I have searched here and a number of places online but I can't find an answer.
Is there alcohol in Bragg's apple cider vinegar?

I always get a strange slightly calm feeling after drinking two or three tablespoons in a big glass of water.
But I can't imagine how there could be any alcohol in it without it all over the label.

Any help would be most appreciated. It can help a lot with anxiety (in addition tonallnthe medical treatments, not instead of). But ifnits alcohol I don't want that.
Thanks.
 
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If it's not on the label, it's not in the beverage. You can be sure of that. The company would not be in business long if it was misleading to that degree.

However, my brother in law used to buy organic farm made apple cider in a jug and if often would ferment in the jug and give it a nice natural buzz.
 
Thanks Greg.
So does vinegar in general contain any alcohol? I definitely feel weird and a bit tingly when drinking it
 
Awesome. Thank you. Much appreciated.
 
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No doubt there are alcohols in the apple vinegar :wink:

1. When you ask about alcohol, you really mean ethanol. I am more than sure there are measurable quantities of ethanol present, but they are way too low to matter.

2. Chemically, "alcohol" doesn't mean just ethanol, plenty of other compounds containing the -OH group (which is what alcohols are). They are present in practically all natural products.
 
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Borek said:
They are present in practically all natural products.

Fresh-baked bread, for example... Alcohols are a big part of that delicious "someone's been baking" smell.
We humans evolved the ability to metabolize alcohol because it is ubiquitous in our diet.
 
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Nugatory said:
Fresh-baked bread, for example... Alcohols are a big part of that delicious "someone's been baking" smell.
We humans evolved the ability to metabolize alcohol because it is ubiquitous in our diet.

There was a funny commentary in Nature a while back (20 years?) which noted that the amount of ethanol produced due to fermentation by the critters in the human gut was significant. The cheeky columnist was arguing that we should somehow alter the balance in our gut to lower our tolerance to ethanol, so that we could get tipsy on a smaller amount of additional ethanol.
 
Quantum Defect said:
There was a funny commentary in Nature a while back (20 years?) which noted that the amount of ethanol produced due to fermentation by the critters in the human gut was significant. The cheeky columnist was arguing that we should somehow alter the balance in our gut to lower our tolerance to ethanol, so that we could get tipsy on a smaller amount of additional ethanol.

There are documented cases in the medical literature of yeasts in the human stomach fermenting sugars into alcohol, getting people drunk off of things like bagles and bread:
The patient had an infection with http://www.epa.gov/biotech_rule/pubs/fra/fra002.htm, Cordell says. So when he ate or drank a bunch of starch — a bagel, pasta or even a soda — the yeast fermented the sugars into ethanol, and he would get drunk. Essentially, he was brewing beer in his own gut. Cordell and McCarthy reported the case of "auto-brewery syndrome" a few months ago in the International Journal of Clinical Medicine.
(source)
 
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  • #10
Borek said:
No doubt there are alcohols in the apple vinegar :wink:

1. When you ask about alcohol, you really mean ethanol. I am more than sure there are measurable quantities of ethanol present, but they are way too low to matter.

2. Chemically, "alcohol" doesn't mean just ethanol, plenty of other compounds containing the -OH group (which is what alcohols are). They are present in practically all natural products.
How much ethanol are we talking? How much in say a half cup acv?

Can a person get any buzz from vinegar?
Thanks
 
  • #11
lesah said:
How much ethanol are we talking? How much in say a half cup acv?

No idea about exact numbers, but we are talking about traces - way too low for any physiological effects (but high enough to be accurately measured by advanced analytical techniques).
 
  • #12
Thanks for the help, everyone. Much appreciated!
 
  • #13
There are trace amounts of ethanol and methanol in fresh fruits and unfertmented fruit juice.
 
  • #14
Interesting! I never knew that.
 

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