Homemade Vinegar Safe?
There's a recipe for homemade vinegar that's basically water, brown sugar, and pineapple peels. Is this safe? I'm thinking that there'll be some mold, etc. or even methanol.
Best Answer
Yeast eats sugar and makes alcohol,
Acetobacters eat alcohol and make acetic acid which is vinegar.
Both alcohol and acetic acid inhibit other microbes. Once your solution is alcoholic or acidic enough there is no risk of mold.
However- this recipe does not include any yeast or acetobacters, it relies on getting the necessary microbes from the air and the surface of the pineapple. During that initial period there will be a risk of some other microbe taking over and spoiling the batch.
Personally I would take out a little insurance and include a pinch of yeast in the initial mix.
If you have an old bottle of undistilled vinegar around you might have a colony of acetobacters (called a "mother") growing in it already. This wouldn't be necessary to prevent spoilage but would speed up your vinegar production greatly. You would add a piece of the mother after most of the sugar had been converted to alcohol. After your first batch you could use the mother in future batches.
This sounds like an awesome experiment and I'm going to have to try making some as well.
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Quick Answer about "Homemade Vinegar Safe?"
To assure a safe product when pickling or canning with vinegar, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning recommends using vinegar of at least 5% acidity. Homemade vinegars should not be used in canning recipes. Bottle your vinegar and use it like you would store-bought, except for in waterbath canning.Is cooking vinegar toxic?
The Bottom Line. White vinegar typically consists of 4\u20137% acetic acid and 93\u201396% water. It can be used for cooking, baking, cleaning and weed control and may aid weight loss and lower blood sugar and cholesterol. Consumption is safe in moderation but could be dangerous in excess amounts or alongside certain medications ...Can vinegar be harmful to humans?
The same acid content that can provide health benefits can also have damaging effects on your oral health. Vinegar can be as much as 7% acetic acid, which can cause serious dental damage. Acids carry away the minerals in your teeth, weakening enamel and potentially leading to cavities and other problems.Should homemade vinegar be pasteurized?
Stored vinegar will stay in excellent condition almost indefinitely if it is pasteurized. To pasteurize, heat the vinegar before pouring it into sterilized bottles, or bottle, then place in a hot water bath.What vinegar can be harmful?
Apple cider vinegar has the potential to cause esophageal (throat) burns. A review of harmful liquids accidentally swallowed by children found that acetic acid from vinegar was the most common acid that caused throat burns.Why I started making my own vinegars from scratch...
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Answer 2
The relevant component of vinegar is acetic acid, which is a byproduct produced by certain bacteria when they consume ethanol, and ethanol is a byproduct formed when certain yeasts consume sugar.
Looking the recipe you link, I'd assume that some of the sugars in the mixture ferment into ethanol, which is then consumed and broken down to acetic acid. After this, there may be some ethanol left (the nicer kind of alcohol you'd find in wine etc), but you will absolutely not find any methanol since yeast doesn't produce methanol.
As for mould (and most other microbes), your vinegar-in-the-making would be a pretty hostile environment, with low pH, possibly some ethanol, and an already present culture of yeast and/or vinegar bacteria. Fact is, you can use vinegar to kill off mould.
When making fermented beverages such as wine, beer or cider, hygiene is very important, but not so much for safety, it's more about taste.
So your vinegar should be safe. If it tastes OK, congratulations, you did it! As always, though, if you intend to keep it for a while, you may want to pasteurize it (or freeze it).
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Vlada Karpovich, Regina Ferraz, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska