Does apple cider vinegar contain alcohol?
Apple cider vinegar contains little or no alcohol. It is made from alcohol: apple juice is fermented into cider, then bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid. Nearly all the alcohol is used up, and US nutrition data list 0.0 g of alcohol per 100 g. Traces can remain, as producers often keep a little ethanol to protect the vinegar.
Updated
Key facts
- Nutrition data. USDA FoodData Central lists 0.0 g of alcohol per 100 g of cider vinegar. [1]
- How it is made. FDA defines cider vinegar as made "by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of the juice of apples", with at least 4 g of acetic acid per 100 ml. [2]
- Residual ethanol. A review of vinegar production notes that "ethanol concentrations between 0.5 and 1% are regularly maintained in vinegars" during acetification, and that EU rules allow up to 1.5% residual ethanol in wine vinegar. [3]
Why is there almost no alcohol left?
Acetic acid bacteria use the alcohol in cider as their food, turning it into acetic acid. [4] Producers stop before the alcohol runs out completely, because without it some bacteria start breaking down the acetic acid itself, so a trace may remain. [3] The process is explained in how apple cider vinegar is made and the glossary entry for fermentation.
How does it compare with other fermented drinks?
| Product | Alcohol |
|---|---|
| Apple cider vinegar | 0.0 g per 100 g in USDA data [1] |
| Kombucha | 0% to 1.29% in one study of nine products [5] |
| Cider | Usually several per cent; see cider |
For kombucha, see does kombucha have alcohol; for other vinegars, see types of vinegar.
Related answers: how apple cider vinegar is made · types of vinegar
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Questions
Is apple cider vinegar fermented?
Twice. FDA defines cider vinegar as "The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of the juice of apples." [2] See how apple cider vinegar is made.
Does vinegar with the mother have more alcohol?
There is no evidence that it does; the mother is a film of acetic acid bacteria and cellulose. See what the mother in apple cider vinegar is.
Sources
- FoodData Central: Vinegar, cider (FDC ID 173469, SR Legacy) — USDA Agricultural Research Service
- CPG Sec. 525.825 Vinegar, Definitions – Adulteration with Vinegar Eels — US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Mas A. et al. Acetic acid bacteria and the production and quality of wine vinegar. The Scientific World Journal (2014) — PubMed Central (NIH)
- Vinegar FAQs — The Vinegar Institute
- Yang J. et al. Microbial and Chemical Profiles of Commercial Kombucha Products. Nutrients 14 (2022) 670 — PubMed Central (NIH)