Alcohol by Volume ABV Testing of Alcoholic Beverages
ABV TESTING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Watching the Masters Golf Tournament, Superbowl, World Series, or Monster Truck Show with a pint of beer or shot of liquor? If so, you might be wondering about Alcohol Content and how many pints, glasses, or shots you can have before driving home.
Therefore, it’s important that breweries, wineries, and distillers of these products accurately test their products to determine the alcohol content. In their quality control and labeling testing, companies use Alcohol by volume (ABV) Testing. ABV Testing is a measure of the alcohol content in a specific volume of a beverage. This test determines how many milliliters of ethanol are present in 100 milliliters of a liquid. ABV Testing is a worldwide standard for measuring alcohol content in an alcoholic beverage. Two popular techniques for measuring alcohol content include distillation and gas chromatography.
Distillation
During the distillation process, alcohol first has to be separated from the liquid using specialized equipment. A hydrometer determines the specific gravity of the distilled alcohol, which is calibrated directly in % vol at 20 °C. If the temperature varies, corrections are made since the volume of the liquid changes with temperature. Distillation is a complex and time-consuming process and accuracy is difficult as numerous errors can occur.
Gas Chromatography
Another technique is the gas chromatography method, the most accurate method for determining alcohol content. This method works by analyzing a mixture of organic compounds and then running them through a chromatograph device. The temperature of the device is important and must be above boiling to convert the liquid into gas. The gas then passes through filters that identify the different compounds, ultimately determining the alcohol content. Gas chromatography has the added benefit of providing additional information about the wine, beer, or liquor product.
Alcoholic Beverage Testing Projects
Contract Laboratory has received numerous test requests from companies needing ABV Testing to determine the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages. Some of the projects we have received are:
- Winemaker and Vineyard needs laboratory for wine testing: analysis report of wine level of alcohol, glucose + fructose sugars, total and volatile acidity, SO2
- Laboratory needed for independent analysis of mead beer, wine, and/or liquor including alcohol proof and sulfite analysis
- Winemaker needs Vinology Laboratory for wine tasting for free sulphur dioxide residual sugar and phenolic compound the general characteristic of wine parameter method to measure this parameter, calculation involves
- Laboratory needed for Spirits testing Determination of addition of alcohols or sugars from cane, corn, or sorghum liquor from grape, apple, or pear by isotope ratio of Carbon 13 – Test Method. Determination of the origin of CO2 in carbonated soft drinks by carbon 13 isotope ratio (? (13) CVPDB), determination of water addition in wines by isotope ratio of oxygen-18 (?18OVSMOW), mass spectrometry Isotope stable
- View more laboratory test requests!
If you are looking for a laboratory to perform alcohol by volume ABV testing, or any other wine, beer, or liquor testing, let Contract Laboratory help you! Call us at 1-855-377-6821 or submit a laboratory test request!
