Alcoholic Beverages

Various alcoholic beverages

Known alcoholic drink (or liquor) any beverage (fermented, macerated, distilled or otherwise) containing ethyl alcohol or ethanol.

Naming a difference is remarkable: an alcoholic drink is called when the alcohol comes from an exterior addition. An alcoholic beverage is a drink cons where alcohol is produced by itself, without adding (like noble spirits such as brandy) ^, .

Chemistry and Manufacturing

Chemistry

Ethanol (CH ₃ CH ₂ OH), the active ingredient of alcoholic beverages, is almost always produced by fermentation - the way metabolic and carbohydrates of certain species of yeast in the absence of oxygen. It was suggested that impurities in the alcohol (congeners - products added during the manufacture of alcohol, such as antioxidants , preservatives , etc.) were the cause of hangovers. However, it is more likely to be caused by acetaldehyde , an oxidized intermediate form produced by the liver where alcohol is catabolized.

Alcoholic drinks with a concentration greater than 40% of the volume are highly flammable.

In chemistry, the term alcohol refers to all organic compounds in which a hydroxyl group (- O H ) is bound to a carbon atom, which in turn is connected to other carbon atoms or hydrogen. Other alcohols such as propylene glycol and polyols can be found routinely in food and beverages, but that does not make them alcoholic products. The methanol (one carbon), propanol (three carbons), and butanol (four carbons) alcohols are all very common, but none of them can be eaten as they are toxic.

Manufacturing

It is the fermentation of sugars ( glucose and fructose ) contained in the fruit , the seeds or roots ( beet ), which produces alcohol. The drink thus obtained can be distilled to give a water spirits or other spirits. The distillation residue gives pressing the marc.

Typology

The level of alcohol in these drinks varies by type:

• Ciders (1% to 7%).
  • cider
  • perry

• The beers (from 0% to 60%).

which

• • lager
  • Lambic
  • ale
  • ale
  • Zythogale
  • Dolo (beer of sorghum from West Africa ) (2% to 7%)
  • Sake Japanese

• The wines (from 8% to 20%, generally around 12%) red, white, ros or sparkling.

• The spirits (from 15%).

It also distinguishes them from the brown spirits (cognac, whiskey ..) white spirits (rum, vodka ...)

• Herbal essences (70%).
  • Plant elixir (chartreuse high, 71%).

• Other alcohols
  • Mead (made from honey ) (3% on average)
  • Hypocras
  • Kir
  • Ratafia
  • Alcohols palm : koutoukou in West Africa , akpeteshie in Ghana , Nsamba or Ntsamba both Congo. (From 5% to 12%)
• There are also cocktails , which are mixtures of different alcohols and whose alcohol content can vary the rates of various products.

Regulation

regulations worldwide

Discotheque Unirea in Romania. The chalets are summaries made available to hotel guests. Indeed, in this country, consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited before getting behind the wheel.

Alcohol is considered a narcotic : his possession, consumption or trafficking can be regulated or prohibited. Penalties for offenders can include prison farm, or, in some Islamic , the whip. For example, the Maldives , tourists in transit after a stay in India or Sri Lanka are being confiscated and to set the bottles of alcohol they were able to buy duty free and they returned them when they leave the country.

The United States and Finland , the sale of alcohol was banned during Prohibition in the 1920s.

In France , the descendants of the soldiers of Napoleon enjoyed the privilege of distillers , allowing them to produce their own alcohol. However since 1959 , this privilege is no longer transmitted by inheritance.

The driving under the influence of alcohol is an offense in many countries (limited to 0.5 g / l in France and Switzerland in particular ).

Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89 of 29 May 1989 , laying down general rules on the definition, description and presentation of spirit drinks was repealed and replaced by Regulation No. 110/2008, which entered into force in May 2008.

In particular, it specifies the minimum degree of alcohol to be supplied for human consumption in the Community. The spirit drinks listed below must submit the following minimum alcoholic strength:

• 40% whiskey / whiskey, pastis
• 37.5% rum, Rum-Verschnitt, water spirits of wine, brandy, grape marc, eau-de-vie de marc of fruit, water spirits raisin, brandy Fruit spirits, water spirits of cider or perry, eau de vie gentian, Gin / distilled gin, aquavit / aquavit, vodka, grappa, ouzo, Kornbrand
• 36% brandy / Weinbrand
• 35% grain spirit / water spirits from grain, anise
• 32% Korn
• 30% spirit drink caraway (except akvavit / aquavit)
• 25% fruit spirit drink
• 15% aniseed-flavored spirit (except ouzo, pastis, anis)

In France wine bottles are fitted with a capsule-off.

Limits of legal age worldwide

Depending on the country where you are, the age at which one can legally consume alcohol may be different. Essentially the average age is between 18 and 21 years. However some countries are more permissive than others.

The United States , the sale of alcohol is prohibited for children under 21 years.

Some states Islamic conservatives (the Saudi Arabia , the Kuwait , the Iran , the emirate of Sharjah ) totally prohibit alcohol consumption.

In France, the sale of alcohol to under 18 is prohibited by law Bachelot March 2009. In Switzerland, the sale of beer, wine, cider is prohibited under 16, while spirits and aperitifs are under 18 years.

Regulation in France

In France, according to Article L. 3321-1. Code of Public Health, the drinks are, for the regulation of their manufacture, sale and consumption, divided into five groups:

• Group ^1, non-alcoholic beverages: mineral water or carbonated fruit juices and vegetable juices, unfermented and not containing, after an initial fermentation, traces of alcohol greater than 1.2 degrees, soft drinks, syrups, teas, milk, coffee, tea, chocolate;
• Group ^2, non-distilled fermented beverages: wine, beer, cider, perry, mead, which joined the natural sweet wines benefiting from tax wine and cream and cassis fruit juice or fermented vegetables containing 1.2 to 3 degrees of alcohol;
• Group ^3, natural sweet wines other than those belonging to group 2, fortified wines, wine-based aperitifs and liqueurs of strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant or cherry, containing not more than 18 degrees of pure alcohol;
• Group ^4, rums, tafia alcohol from the distillation of wine, cider, perry and fruit, and not stand any kind of essence and liqueurs sweetened with sugar, glucose or honey at 400 grams minimum per liter for anise liqueur and a minimum of 200 grams per liter and for other liquors containing not more than half a gram per liter of gasoline;
• 5 ^th group, all other alcoholic beverages.

IV license called "big license" or "full license"

The sale of alcoholic beverages by licensed premises is subject to France to obtain a license for Class I, II, III or IV according to the group or groups of alcohol (s) (s) authorized for sale by said license (see License II , III License , License IV ).

1 The license for 1st class, called "soft drink license" does authorize sale for consumption on the drinks for the first group;

2 The second category of license, known as "fermented beverages license" includes authorization to sell beverage consumption on the first two groups;

3 The license category 3, known as "limited license" includes authorization to sell beverage consumption on the first three groups;

4 The fourth category of license called "big license" or "full license" includes authorization to sell for consumption on all drinks whose consumption remains within authorized, including the fourth and fifth group.

Unit of measure for consumption

To estimate the amount of pure alcohol consumed by a person, the "unity alcohol" or "standard drink" was defined and adopted by WHO to determine the thresholds of consumption does not harm human health.

Alcohol unit is 10 grams of pure alcohol, which corresponds roughly to the standard amounts provided in bars (hence the term "standard drink") or a half of beer (25cl) at 5 , flask of wine or champagne (10cl) at 12 , or a glass of whiskey (3 cl) at 40.

We can quantify its consumption at a time in standard drinks. For example, WHO recommends no more than 3 standard drinks per day for men and 2 women, and never more than 4 on a single occasion. However, recent research on the risks of alcohol on health are considered to advocate complete abstinence.

Health

Dutch panel banning alcohol.

Physiology

Drinking alcohol affects different physiological and psychological.

• Short-term effects. Alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system and acts primarily on the court but also on motor functions. The first effects of alcohol may appear within 5 minutes after absorption. Its effects include mild euphoria, a partial loss of the discomfort and feel better express their thoughts, emotions or state of being . For example, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a woman consuming 50 g alcohol per day (5 glasses of beer or 5 glasses of wine) increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 50 %. But for 18 g / day (2 cups) is already significantly increased (+ 7%). For moderate, studies are contradictory: for example, studies have set a limit of consumption with beneficial effects to 3 glasses for men and 2 women, a more recent study of the Inca, advocates complete abstinence (This last statistical study apparently does not take into account the consumption or non-smoking among respondents, however, should take with caution).

• Face. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, resulting in cases of chronic use, a face pink / red (for those Leucoderms ) or edema and purple with red eyes.

• The cardiovascular impact. This issue has been contradictory and publications of great media coverage. When reading the survey results showing the lowest cardiovascular mortality in Great Britain than in France (1980), we have been led to believe that moderate consumption of alcohol reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and mortality associated with recent secondary. This reduced risk was found regardless of the type of alcohol consumed . These results are challenged by a study from 2007 which the analysis of previous work from a hypothesis Shaper and colleagues . Most studies on this subject is indeed based on a systematic error of including in the category of sober people who have decreased or stopped their drinking because of their condition or medication . The few studies that do not commit this error show the same risk of cardiovascular disease for a sober, as a consumer or a moderate light . Others point out that these studies were performed while the French Epidemiology lagged behind the UK .

• It was long believed, incorrectly, that "alcohol was giving forces" or that warming. He would rather vasodilator properties and cardiovascular combined producing a feeling of well-being.

Overall, despite some positive effects may be observed, alcohol remains a major public health problem in France. Thus "the violent death directly related to alcohol (upper aerodigestive tract cancers, but cirrhosis ) are about three times higher on this side of the Channel " . The cardiovascular effects of alcohol are mixed, "moderate drinking is associated with improved lipid profile (HDL cholesterol ) and a decrease in clotting , cardiac events by obstruction ( atherosclerosis , thrombosis ) would be therefore reduced. In contrast, consumption of alcohol causes a rise in blood pressure , and thus increased risk of stroke by bleeding " .

The disinfecting alcohol is used for disinfection of superficial skin wounds or the healthy skin surface before and after sampling or injection. It is most often of ethanol at 70% or 90%, the latter concentration being less effective for disinfecting bacteria (bacterial spores are not destroyed by alcohol at 90 but are by alcohol 70 ). Biological membranes are formed from phospholipids that are soluble in ethanol. An application of ethanol thus destroys most microorganisms by destabilizing their membranes .

France

Consumption

• France, 2000, for the age group of 12-75 years, 25.1% men and 9.4% of women reported drinking alcohol every day . In 2004-2005, 20% of men and 7% of women are daily users .

Dependence

• In France, 13.3% of the population in 2000 would be risks of alcohol dependence .

Mortality

• The Department of Health and Solidarity believes that alcohol is responsible for 40,000 deaths each year in France (number 2000) and alcohol is a carcinogen , even at low doses.
• In France around 2007, alcohol was responsible for 45,000 deaths per year, the second leading cause of "preventable death" after the tobacco . Alcohol is the cause of 16% of male deaths than 3% of female deaths because it is one of the factors of the occurrence of many diseases ( breast cancer , esophageal cancer , mental disorders), d ' road accidents and domestic violence.

Social cost

• In France around 2007, the social cost of alcohol is estimated at over EUR 37 billion (lost productivity, lost revenue, cost of accidents, etc..). The health costs of alcohol amount to more than 6 billion euros .

Religion

Ukrainian Icon of the ^eighteenth century

Christianity

The wine has a special place in Christianity , representing the blood of Christ , as the bread represents his body. It is therefore an element of ceremony and symbolism. It plays a particular role in the Gospels at the time of the wedding in Cana. In the Gospels, the vine is also used as a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven: "I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman" (John, 15, 1): see also the parable of the vineyard sent (Matthew 20.1 to 16).

Catholicism

Alcohol is involved in some evocations in the masses Catholics. The wine, usually white (to avoid stains), becomes the blood of Christ in the consecration made at the Mass celebrated by a Catholic priest, shortly before the communion or the sacrament of Eucharist. This phenomenon is referred to by the term transubstantiation.

Mormonism

In Mormonism , the Word of Wisdom excludes alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea.

Adventism

Some movements Christians , such as Adventism / A>, consider that alcohol is bad for the body. They therefore discourage consumption, like other narcotics.

Islam

Young woman offering wine to a wise, Dynasty Safavids in Iran , circa 1650
"And the fruits of palms and vines, you'll get a strong drink and a great good. Verily in that are signs for a people who reflect "
(Surah XVI, 67)

Alcohol supply is strictly prohibited by Islam , because it weakens the conscience of the believer. There is a consensus of unanimity among theologians Muslims. However, this has not prevented people living in Muslim majority countries have produced and still produce alcoholic beverages such as raki in Turkey , the boukha in Tunisia , the wine in Morocco and Algeria.

In the Koran the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad , proposed rule like life to his followers, from 610 , only five suras mention wine (khamr) . One reported a ban in a broader context. The wine is prohibited to believers as well as gambling and divination stones :
"O you who believe, remember that wine, games of chance and idols and divining arrows are an abomination and a work of the devil. Avoid them. Maybe you'll be blessed "(Sura V, 30) .

Two others noted that the wine can be a great blessing and a curse. But the latter is often much higher than :
"They ask thee concerning wine and gambling, say to them, they both have a large stain, but also benefits for men. But their misdeeds outweigh their benefits "(Sura II, 219) .
"And the fruits of palms and vines, you'll get a strong drink and a great good. Verily in that are signs for a people who reflect "(Surah XVI, 67) .

The last two suras of treating wine are one of the delights of Paradise promised by Muhammad :
"Like the paradise that was promised to the faithful, and which flow rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk the taste never changes, rivers of wine delicious" (Sura XLVII, 15) .
"The pure will be a rare wine to drink" (Sura LXXXIII, 25) .

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not always forbidden by Islam and theories on this subject have often varied. The verse "Fruit of the vines and palms, you take what intoxicates profitable and award (great food)" (Qur'an, 16, 67) is subject to many interpretations .

References

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