The Content of Grain

 
   All cereals contain an abundance of starchy elements, which can be converted into saccharine. Saccharine is a  fermentable sugar. 

For this reason, grains which contain a higher percentage of starch will result in a potential higher alcohol output. The matrix below describes the content of the various grains.

A catalyst for the transformation of starchy elements into fermentable sugar is either diastase or an acid such as sulphuric acid.  Diastase is developed in the grain during germination of all cereals, but especially in barley.

The transformation takes place into two steps:

  1. Starchy elements  ---> Dextrine (a gummy substance)
  2. Dextrine                 ---> Glucose (grape sugar)

The speed of this transformation process can be influenced by two elements:

  • Temperature
  • Available quantity of water

In the beer brewing and alcohol manufacturing industry, this process is called "malting".



  Starch Gluten & other Azotized substances  Dextrine, Glucose, etc, Fatty matter  Cellulose   Inorganic salts (Silica, Phosphates, etc,) 
Wheat 65,99 18,03 7,63 2,16 3,50 2,69
Rye 65,65 13,50 12,00 2,15 4,10 2,60
Barley 65,43 13,96 10,00 2,76 4,75 3,10
Oats 60,59 14,39 9,25 5,50 7,06 3,25
Corn 67,55 12,50 4,00 8,80 5,90 1,25
Rice 89,15 7,05 1,00 0,80 1,10 0,90
Proportion of elements in various grains (in %)

Oats is a grain which is seldom used as a raw material to produce alcohol, due to it's relatively high price compared to the other available grains.


The theoretical alcohol production


Calculating with the starch % of the cereals as listed above, the following theoretical pure alcohol production can be reached in an optimal distillation run.

220 lbs/100 kg of:

gives " - - " of pure alcohol  
Wheat 7.00 gallons 26.53 liters  
Rye 6.16 gallons 23.35 liters  
Barley 5.50 gallons 20.85 liters  
Oats 4.80 gallons 18.19 liters  
Corn 5.50 gallons 20.85 liters  
Rice 7.70 gallons 29.18 liters  
1 pound = 0.4545 kg  and 1 gallon = 3.79 liter
 

Rice is the most productive to distillers, but is not very commonly used as a raw material in alcohol production  due to it's value as food. Corn is used in industrial alcohol manufacturing plants.
 

The Process

Malting,  Grinding,   Mashing,  Filtering,  Fermenting,  Distilling,  Ageing.