Discerning drinkers might soon be able to branch out after Japanese researchers on Tuesday said they have invented a way of producing an alcoholic drink from wood.
Researchers at Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute say the bark-based beverages have woody qualities similar to alcohol, which is aged in wood barrels. They hope to have their “wood alcohol” on shelves within three years.
The method involves pulverizing wood into a creamy paste and then adding yeast and an enzyme to start the fermentation process.
By avoiding using heat, researchers say they are able to preserve the specific flavor of each tree’s wood.
So far, they have produced tipples from cedar, birch and cherry — 4kg of cedar wood gave them 3.8 liters of liquid, with an alcohol content of about 15 percent, similar to that of sake.
They experimented with both brewed and distilled versions of the beverage, but “we think distilled alcohol appears better,” researcher Kengo Magara said.
Wood fermentation is already used to produce biofuel, but the product contains toxins and is flavorless, making it far from a suitable cocktail component.
“But our method can make it drinkable and with a wood flavor, because it does not require high heat or sulfuric acid to decompose the wood,” Magara said.
The institute has a broad mandate for scientific study related to Japan’s extensive woods and forests, but Magara said that “wood alcohol” might not be the most obvious application for their research resources.
“We thought it would be interesting to think that alcohol could be made from something around here like trees,” Magara said. “It’s a dream-inspired project.”
The government institute aims to commercialize the venture with a private-sector partner.
“Japan has plenty of trees across the nation and we hope people can enjoy wood alcohols that are specialized from each region,” Magara said.
Yemen’s separatist leader has vowed to keep working for an independent state in the country’s south, in his first social media post since he disappeared earlier this month after his group briefly seized swathes of territory. Aidarous al-Zubaidi’s United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces last month captured two Yemeni provinces in an offensive that was rolled back by Saudi strikes and Riyadh’s allied forces on the ground. Al-Zubaidi then disappeared after he failed to board a flight to Riyadh for talks earlier this month, with Saudi Arabia accusing him of fleeing to Abu Dhabi, while supporters insisted he was
‘SHOCK TACTIC’: The dismissal of Yang mirrors past cases such as Jang Song-thaek, Kim’s uncle, who was executed after being accused of plotting to overthrow his nephew North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has fired his vice premier, compared him to a goat and railed against “incompetent” officials, state media reported yesterday, in a rare and very public broadside against apparatchiks at the opening of a critical factory. Vice Premier Yang Sung-ho was sacked “on the spot,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, in a speech in which Kim attacked “irresponsible, rude and incompetent leading officials.” “Please, comrade vice premier, resign by yourself when you can do it on your own before it is too late,” Kim reportedly said. “He is ineligible for an important duty. Put simply, it was
The Chinese Embassy in Manila yesterday said it has filed a diplomatic protest against a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman over a social media post that included cartoonish images of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea. The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels. Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country’s north and east. Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he had agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war. He made the decision after deadly clashes in the Syrian city of Raqa on Sunday between Kurdish-led forces and local fighters loyal to Damascus, and fighting this month between the Kurds and government forces. The agreement would also see the Kurdish administration and forces integrate into the state after months of stalled negotiations on
RSS