I’ve run across stories on my Food News wires recently about two new takes on Alcoholic Beverages. Read along with me and decide for yourself if they are harbingers of the boozy future, or things someone did just because they could. And are they really good ideas in the first place?
Leaders of the Sachi Development Team: PhD student Chua Jian-Yong (left)
and Professor Liu Shao-Quan pose with their creation…
First, Singapore scientists make Tofu Wine
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have succeeded in making Tofu Wine by fermenting the whey, or runoff liquid from fresh Tofu. They call their creation ‘Sachi’.
PhD student Chua Jian-Yong, leader of the Sachi development team, explains: “The traditional way of manufacturing tofu produces a large amount of whey, which contains high levels of calcium and unique soya nutrients such as isoflavones and prebiotics. Hence, disposing tofu whey is wasteful. Very little research has been done to transform tofu whey into edible food and beverage products. I had previously worked on alcohol fermentation during my undergraduate studies in NUS, so I decided to take up the challenge of producing an alcoholic beverage using the whey. The drink turned out to be tasty, which is a pleasant surprise.”
Tofu is going be more and more important in the future as the world struggles to feed its exploding population. And that means a lot more whey to dispose of. What better way to dispose of it than to make Wine from it? A waste product is fermented rather than using expensive, possibly scarce grains which have greater value as food.
Idea Meter reading: 10/10
Then, there’s a new initiative from Soda Stream…
Soda stream, the people who brought sparkling water home with their popular siphon, are now test marketing ‘Wine Concentrates’ which can be added to their bubbly Water. They come complete with Alcohol.
The first such product, called Sparkling Gold, makes up into about 20 glasses of a Riesling-like beverage. You can use Soda Stream Water, regular tap water or Bottles water, or the Bottled Bubbly water of your choice. Of course, the flavour of the final product will vary depending on the water you use.
Soda Stream claims that 76 per cent of taste testers 76% of tasters liked Sparkling Gold as much or more than Moët and Veuve Clicquot French Champagnes. I wonder who those taste testers were? What do they usually drink? I’ve made my own Wine, even taught home Wine and Beer making courses. And I’ve experienced the difference between wine made from concentrated Grape Juice and real, freshly pressed Juice. I’ve also tasted a lot of real Wines from all over the world. Soda Stream may find its way onto some holiday tables as a novelty, but not mine.
Idea Meter reading: 2/10 (mainly for creativity)
~ Maggie J.