PRODUCTION OF SHOCHU ON A COMMERCIAL-SCALE FROM POSTDISTILLATION SLURRY BY A NEWLY DEVELOPED RECYCLING PROCESS

During commercial scale fermentation for the production of rice shochu using post-distillation slurry in place of the first-stage mash, it w as difficult to stir the mash from the first to the third day because of the high viscosity of the mash. Shochu was therefore fermented with a two-step addition of cooked rice, adding rice on the first and thir d days, to reduce the viscosity of mash during the first few days. Eve n though the ethanol concentration of the mash after 9 d was 17.2 v/v% and was a little lower than that obtained in laboratory scale tests, the yield of pure ethanol was 473 mL kg(-1) of rice and this value was higher than the average value (450 ml kg(-1)) when shochu is made in the standard manner on a commercial scale. The shochu produced on a co mmercial scale by the newly developed recycling process was very mild and smooth, and received high scores in sensory tests.