Method for the prediction of appearance of macromolecule aggregates in vinegar

Abstract

  It is important for vinegar manufacturers to develop a more accurate method for predicting of appearance of macromolecule aggregates in vinegar with the purpose of maintaining the clearness of products for a longer time in the summer. The traditional method to predict the appearance of aggregation in a short period of time was merely to look for the appearance of aggregates at 60°C in a colorless transparent glass bottle filled with vinegar with the intention of promoting macromolecule aggregation at a high temperature as an accelerated aging test. During the course of the concentration of proteins contained in several vinegars by a membrane, we found that the degree of aggregation of the macromolecules was different among the vinegars regardless of the macromolecule content. From the analyses of the vinegars in which the aggregation was accelerated by the addition of other macromolecules or metallic ions, and which were manufactured from several raw materials by different makers, it suggested that the turbidity of the vinegar after the ultra-filtration concentration at room temperature was closely related to the aggregation velocity of the macromolecules at 37°C. Thus, this new faster method using a membrane was shown to be effective for the accurate prediction of the appearance of aggregates in the summer.