Sarson's Vinegar

[mikey4444]

I don't normally use much vinegar at home....maybe some balsamic stuff when I am making a pasta sauce. I had a bottle of Sarson's Malt Vinegar in the cupboard, but when I went to use it, it had a thick film of mould on the top !

I know, I know....I should clean out my cupboards more often ! But I wouldn't have thought that mould would have grown on vinegar.

[Samuraisan]

Maybe it's yeast. As in what eventually floats to the top when some sherry is being made.

[TheChair]

Found this "In addition to cloudiness or sediment, vinegar may develop a slimy substance called a "mother," which may look and sound scary but it is actually harmless. As its name suggests, the mother can even be used to make a new batch of vinegar."
here:
http://www.thekitchn.com/vinegar-does-it-have-a-shelf-l-89519

[mikey4444]

Thanks everybody. It had a thick crust of 'orrible green mould, and its now in the bin !

And yet, I have a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar that I bought in Italy about 6 years ago, and that is perfectly OK. I was just surprised that something like vinegar could produce such a nasty mould !

[weecalf]

Would not worry
Just take it with a pinch of salt

[atalanta]

I'd be delighted if I found a vinegar-mother in my vinegar. Then I could make all sorts of leftover wine dregs into splendid vinegars. But I doubt if Sarson's is the right sort of vinegar to produce the right sort of Mother.

[theprof]

It's not a mould mikey4444.

What you've seen is a pool of Acetobacter bacteria on the surface of the vinegar with a limited quantity within the vinegar itself. The bacteria within the vinegar cause it to look turbid or cloudy and sometimes, discoloured. The surface pool of bacteria has been described as slimy or ropey in appearance. This is caused by the bacteria producing a cellulose-like substance during metabolism.

Acetic acid bacteria grow best at a temperature of 25-30 degrees C, so the vinegar may have been in a warm environment for a while with you. Some bacteria strains can grow at a pH of around 2.4, which is pretty acidic, and will survive in concentrations of up to about 13% by volume of acid to water. Your vinegar will probably be 5% which is well within these parameters.

Acetobacter bacteria grow best in the presence of ethanol. In fact, all good quality vinegars are made by inoculating wine with Acetobacter and other related bacteria. Sarsons do use wine in vinegar production and what you've seen in the vinegar is essentially a legacy of the vinegar production. Cheaper vinegars use different methods.

The Vinegar Mother is harmless and you would have come to no harm using it. In fact, it has a place in the treatment of certain gastrointestinal ulcers when mixed with sugar, but that's another story. I do apppreciate that it looked unsightly.

Many years ago, I cultured quite a few Vinegar Mothers in a uni lab and passed on the cultures to some staff who were interested in making vinegar at home. A good Vinegar Mother will last for years and can be used repeatedly to make high quality vinegar.

[theprof]

atalanta, you're right to think that Sarson's won't produce the best Vinegar Mother. I have seen one that grew in Sarson's reasonably well but the bacteria count was down and the colony did not survive that long.

Higher acidity vinegars consistently work best. I remember years ago coming across a chap who was trying to grow a mother in an open, wide-mouthed container of non-brewed condiment!

[theprof]

I know I described it as a pool mikey which tied in with your original description of a thick film. I appreciate your further description of it as a thick crust. I sometimes refer to an established colony as resembling a quilt-like mass when I speak to students about it. It can be other colours apart from green in certain circumstances

[theprof]

Oops, should have said "I know you described it as a pool"...