The history of vinegar and of its acetifcation systems Autor(en): Bourgeois, Jacques F. / Barja, François Objekttyp: Article Zeitschrift: Archives des sciences [2004-ff.] Band (Jahr): 62 (2009) Heft 2 PDF erstellt am: 11.10.2021 Persistenter Link: http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-738455 Nutzungsbedingungen Die ETH-Bibliothek ist Anbieterin der digitalisierten Zeitschriften. Sie besitzt keine Urheberrechte an den Inhalten der Zeitschriften. Die Rechte liegen in der Regel bei den Herausgebern. Die auf der Plattform e-periodica veröffentlichten Dokumente stehen für nicht-kommerzielle Zwecke in Lehre und Forschung sowie für die private Nutzung frei zur Verfügung. Einzelne Dateien oder Ausdrucke aus diesem Angebot können zusammen mit diesen Nutzungsbedingungen und den korrekten Herkunftsbezeichnungen weitergegeben werden. Das Veröffentlichen von Bildern in Print- und Online-Publikationen ist nur mit vorheriger Genehmigung der Rechteinhaber erlaubt. 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BOURGEOIS', François BARJA^ Ms reçu /e 24 févr/'er 2009, accepté /e 27 noi/emdre 2009 Abstract The history of vinegar and of its acetification systems. - >4 rap/d d/sfor/ca/ survey from tde XW^ to tde XX'^ cenfur/'es serves to order and s/'fuafe tde pr/nc/pa/ /andmar/rs wd/cd dave confr/'dufed to tde present /eve/ of sc/'enf/'f/'c Pnow/edpe, and of tde fecdno/op/'ca/ advances /'n v/'nepar producf/'on. Fde f/'rsf propos/'f/'on of an e/adorat/on of a cdem/'ca/ epoat/on, tde descr/pf/'on of tde motder of v/'nepar, tde /'denf/'f/'caf/'on of tde /'mporfance of wood sdav/nps and of a/'r /ed to tde deve/opmenf of a rap/'d and more stad/e metdod. As soon as sc/enf/fic Pnow/edpe esfad/tsded ru/es, tde resu/fanf profit confr/'dufed to tde rap/d deve/opmenf of correspond/'np tecdno- /op/es. Fd/'s propress prepared tde way for tde va/uad/e confr/di/t/on of Pasteur: tde descr/'pf/'on of "Mycoderma aceti ", tde ro/e of oxypen /'n tde atmospdere for tde ox/daf/'on of efdano/ to acef/'c ac/d, tde poss/d/7/fy of conf/'nuous product/on, and even- fua//y tde acef/ficaf/on of d/'pd sfrenptd v/'nepar 7de sudmerped fermentat/on system and compufer/'zaf/'on dave dofd confr/'dufed to fdese /ast aspects of tecdno/op/ca/ advance. From tde end of tde 79^ century and fdroupdouf tde 20^ century tde deve/opmenf of /'ndusfr/a/ equ/pmenf and process s/pn/f/cant/y /'ncreased tde product/on and tde pua//fy of v/'nepar. Frodad/y tde most s/'pn/'f/'cant step forward was tde deve- /opmenf of tde sudmerped system /'n 7949. Fd/s commun/'caf/'on attempts a rap/'d d/sfor/ca/ rev/'ew, w/'fd correspond/'np references, of tde fundamenta/ advancements wd/'cd dave contr/'di/fed to tde present understand/'np and Fnow/edpe of tde e/adoraf/'on of v/'nepar. Keywords: l/l/ood sdav/'nps, penerafor, sudmerped acef/f/caf/'on system, rofaf/'on acet/'f/'er. 1 Résumé L'histoire du vinaigre et de ses systèmes d'acétification. - Cet arf/'c/e est un résumé d/'sfor/'que rap/'de du XI//* au XX* s/'èc/e, avec /es références correspondantes, des proprés fondamentaux pu/' ont confr/'dué à /a conna/'ssance et à /a com- prédens/'on de /'é/adoraf/'on du v/'na/'pre. fa descr/pf/'on de /a mère de v/'na/'pre, /'équaf/'on cd/'m/'que de /a fermenfaf/'on acéf/'que et /'/mporfance des copeaux de do/s et de /'a/'r ont condu/'f à un mode de fadr/'cat/'on du v/'na/'pre p/us rap/'de. Ces proprès ont ouvert /a vo/'e à /7'mporfanfe confr/'duf/'on de Pasteur: /a présence de «Mycoderma aceti», /e rô/e de /'oxypène afmospdér/'que pour /'oxydaf/'on de /'a/- coo/ en ac/'de acéf/'que, /a poss/d/f/fé du système d'acét/f/cat/on en conf/'nu, et ce/u/' à dauf depré. /.e système /'mmerpé et /'/nformat/'que ont confr/'dué fous deux à ces dern/'ers aspects du proprès fecdno/op/'que. /.'événement /e p/us s/'pn/'f/'cat/'f pour /e déve/oppemenf de /'équ/pemenf /'ndusfr/'e/ et du procédé d'acét/'f/'cat/'on a cerfa/'ne- ment été /e système /'mmerpé en 7949. Depu/s /a f/'n du X/X* s/'èc/e et durant fout /e XX*, /e déve/oppemenf des équ/pemenfs /'ndusfr/'e/s et des procédés ont aup- menfé /a producf/'on et /a qua//'fé du v/'na/'pre. /.'avancement prodad/ement /e p/us s/'pn/'f/'cat/'f a été /e déve/oppemenf du système /'mmerpé. Mots-clés: Copeaux de do/'s, systèmes d'acét/'f/'cat/'on tournant et /'mmerpé. * Consa/fanf H. Fr/'nps, D-5onn, 79 route de Cdevr/er, C/-/-7244 Cdou/ex, Sw/'fzer/and. E-mail: [email protected] * L/n/vers/fy of Geneva, dn/'fy of M/crod/o/opy, 70 cdem/'n des Fmdroucd/s, CA7- 7254 7ussy-/.u///er, Sw/fzer/and. Fe/: +4 7 22 579 57 50, E-mail: [email protected] Iarchives des SCIENCES I Arch.Sci. (2009) 62:147-160 I I 148 I Jacques F. BOURGEOIS, François BARJA 777e /7/sto/y of w'negar and of /ts acef/'f/caf/on systems I Introduction way down the steep slope with winding tracks and adapting the gradient, so that not only the pack ani- A good grasp of background history is always benefi- mais but even the elephants could be led down». Pliny cial for the deeper understanding of a subject, and wrote in his book «Natural History», chapter IX, that serves as a basis for significant contribution to its ad- Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, made a bet with the vance. Vinegar is no exception to this. This publication Roman general Mark Anthony that she could host the attempts a rapid historical review, with corresponding most expensive banquet costing ten million sesterces. references, of the fundamental advancements which He laughed at her, but during the meal, for the desert, have contributed to the present understanding and she had a bowl of strong vinegar brought in and dis- knowledge of the elaboration of vinegar. At the end of solved a pearl of inestimable value in it, and then drank the XVP* century knowledge about vinegar making the resulting potion. Vinegar is mentioned and used as had not progressed further than a range of different a drink and medicine in the Old and the New techniques, all empirical, with uncertain production Testament of the Bible (Mazza and Murooka 2009). results, and no scientific knowledge to speak of. It is said that Louis XIII (1601-1643), King of France, paid up to 1.3 million francs for every battle fought, to Surprising uses revealed by vinegar history buy vinegar for use in cleaning the canons of his army. Vinegar was well known by the European alchemists of The word vinegar comes etymologically from the the Middle Ages. After pouring vinegar on lead, they French word "vinaigre" which means "sour wine". The produced "lead sugar", used to sweeten cider until the origin of vinegar is certainly connected to the dis- 19^ century. Unfortunately, lead acetate being a covery of wine. If wine is left open to air, it rapidly be- poison resulted in the death of several cider drinkers. comes acid and it turns into "sour wine". Recognizable The cabalistic symbol (Fig. 1 A) of a cross in the middle both by its smell and its pungent taste, this liquid has a of four circles (Bourgeois 1999) was used by al- long tradition. The history of vinegar helps us realize chemists as the symbol of vinegar. that it is one of the beautiful and great gifts given to mankind by nature. Basilius Valentinus (1565-1624) wrote at the begin- ning of the 15th century that it was hardly possible to The first recorded mention of vinegar was in around do anything useful in alchemy without the help ofvine- 3000 B.C., when the Babylonians used the fruit and sap gar. of the date palm as raw material to produce alcoholic beverages. They were transformed naturally into Between 1347 and 1771 several European towns were vinegar in contact with air. The Babylonians used it as hit by the plague at various times. It is estimated that a food and as a preserving or pickling agent. Residues there were 50 million victims of this disease, which was of vinegar were found in Egypt in urns dating back to vectored to man by flea ridden rats. In 1721, the plague 3000 B.C. Texts about vinegar dating from 1200 B.C. hit the towns of France so violently that it became im- have also been found in China.