Alcoholic Beverages

The main focus of this book is to explore the chemistry and health impact of different alcoholic beverages. It is important to know the chemical composition of alcoholic beverages before consumption, as ethyl alcohol is not their only component. There is a common misconception that "a small dose of alcoholic beverage is good for health." However, this "small" is not a well-defined amount, and beyond a certain level, the consumption of alcoholic beverages becomes injurious to human health. Therefore, the effect of alcoholic beverages on health is influenced by their chemistry. This book reveals a detailed study of the chemistry and health impacts of various modern alcoholic beverages. It provides comprehensive explanations covering historical aspects, chemical composition, health impacts, and legal regulations of different beverages, including beer, champagne, wine, rum, port wine, brandy, gin, whiskey, vodka, and tequila. A significant portion of this book is also dedicated to the purification and ageing of alcohols, as well as factors affecting their quality and taste. The subject matter comprehensively covers information on virtually all contemporary alcoholic beverages. Important features of this book include the following: - Chemistry of alcoholic beverages and their consumption limits - Fermentation, brewing, distillation processes, and ageing of alcoholic beverages - Health benefits and harmful effects of alcoholic beverages - Information about top-selling products, serving techniques, laws, and regulations - Balance between positive and negative aspects with respect to social and economic impacts This book bridges the gap between scientific discourse and public understanding by addressing questions, answers, and arguments of chemists, researchers, doctors, and health-conscious individuals.

Sarat Kumar Swain is working presently as a Professor of Chemistry at Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, India. He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, OH, USA, after receiving his doctoral degree from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, India. He has also worked as a visiting researcher at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, with an INSA SR Fellowship and at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, after receiving a JNCASR Fellowship. He has more than 25 years of experience in teaching and research in the areas of organic chemistry, materials chemistry, nanotechnology, and polymer chemistry at UG, PG, and PhD levels. To date, he has successfully supervised 21 PhD scholars and 3 post-doctoral fellows, along with more than 50 master's theses as the output of his research to date. His research interests include reinforced polymer nanocomposites, hybrid nanomaterials, and advanced materials like nanoclay, graphene, CNF, CNT, and CQD for improving the fire-retardant, gas barrier, thermal, chemical, and mechanical resistance properties of materials. He has designed various kinds of nanostructured materials for wastewater treatment, packaging, anti-corrosion performance, superconductor properties, sensing behaviours, drug delivery, wound healing, and biomedical applications. He has published more than 150 research articles in different reputed international SCI/Scopus-indexed journals with an average impact factor of more than five. He has authored/edited ten books with different international publishers and has also contributed about 50 chapters to several edited books as the lead author. He has two patents (one USA and one Indian) to his credit. To date, his h-index is 40 and i-10 index is 120 with more than 5,000 citations. He has received several awards such as the BOYSCAST Fellowship and DAE-Young Scientist Research Award from the Government of India, along with the prestigious "Samanta Chandra Sekhar Award" and gold medal from the Odisha Bigyan Academy, Science and Technology Department, Government of Odisha, for his scientific and academic achievements. Besides his academic credits, he has also taken on various administrative responsibilities such as Director (IQAC), Dean (Academic Affairs), Dean (PG Studies and Research), and Head of the Department of Chemistry during his professional career. Prof. Swain is a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), London.

1. Alcoholic Beverages: Types, Brands, and Measurements 2. Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages: An Introduction to Health Impacts 3. Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages: An Introduction to Chemistry 4. Fermentation, Brewing, and Distillation of Alcoholic Beverages: Process, Additives, and Issues 5. Aging of Alcoholic Beverages 6. Beer 7. Champagne 8. Wine 9. Port 10. Rum 11.Brandy 12. Gin 13. Whiskey 14. Vodka 15. Tequila 16. Global Cultural and Social Contexts of Alcohol Consumption: Differences, Laws, and Policies 17. Balance Between Good and Bad Effects of Alcoholic Beverages