Federico Lemmetti

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar as Coded by Us

There are several descriptions of how to make balsamic vinegars. Benedetti mentions 21 traditional methods that are still practised on a household level (Benedetti 2004); some of these are quite unusual, others are reasonable but very generic. Recently, a procedure was patented (Patent BO2011A000132) perfectly compatible with the product regulations for TBV, which clearly sets out all the steps for TBV production. Ideally, the process is divided into four main stages, with a separate description of the characteristics of the grapes. The stages are: cooking of grape must (GM), alcoholic fermentation of cooked must (CKM), acetic fermentation of base wine (BW), and maturation. The latter includes the chemical and physical transformations that occur during all stages, beginning with Maillard reactions generated by the heat treatment of the must, and ending with the same Maillard reactions in the barrel set. In the intermediate stages, two important microbiological transformations occur: alcoholic and acetic acid fermentations.

Balsamic Production: Raw Materials and Processes

The processes of manufacturing balsamic vinegars can differ remarkably between producers, essentially in response to the intended use of the products, production costs, raw materials, consumer preferences, legal conformity, and very importantly the producers’ market strategies. The balsamic manufacturing processes are limited to a few specific stages, since ingredients are often bought partially or totally processed, including concentrated grape must, cooked grape must, fruit juices, vinegar, glucose syrups, and other ingredients. The first stage is formulation with selection of ingredients, raw materials, and/or their proportions in the mixture, which is particularly important for BC, BV, and BVM, since some of these products can be manufactured directly in this single first stage. For the production of TBV, two operations are very important: heat and mass transfer, which are carried out together in a traditional open cauldron, while for other balsamics there are several options.

The Balsamic Family

The market for balsamic vinegars and related products has developed very rapidly over a short interval of time, today comprising a wide variety of products that, at first glance, might appear quite similar both in appearance and from a sensory perspective. However, all these products can vary enormously as regards ingredients, market claims, price, and legal status. Three tentative groups are defined: (1) condiments, which have no compositional limitations and can contain thickeners, preservatives, colours, flavours, and any kind of additive, both artificial and natural; (2) vinegars, which are legally defined in many countries, often with specific legislation, usually imposing minimum acidity levels; (3) specialty vinegars and condiments, which include vinegar products that are legally recognised as different and distinct from the products in the “normal” vinegars or condiments groups, for historical, cultural, or other significant reasons.

Vinegar: Definition, Diffusion, and Uses

The history of microbial biotransformation is closely associated with vinegar production, which dates back to around 2000 BC. Vinegar is a flavouring agent but also a preservative, and in some countries, it is considered a healthy drink. The FAO/WHO defines vinegar as any liquid, fit for human consumption, produced exclusively from suitable products containing starch and/or sugars by the process of double fermentation, first alcoholic and then acetous. It is made starting from almost any fermentable carbohydrate source: apples, pears, grapes, honey, syrups, cereals, beer, and wine. Production is regulated by an extensive set of statutes, and the definition of vinegar varies from one country to another. Balsamic vinegars represent a complex grouping for at least two reasons: firstly, there is no precise and legally recognised definition of “balsamic vinegar”; and secondly, products bearing the “balsamic” tag can be very different from each other.

“Balsamic”: A Global Debate

The World Trade Organization (WTO) protects a form of intellectual property known as “Geographical Indication” (GI). GI’s are “indications which identify a product as originating in the territory of a Member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin”. GI groups together three distinctive systems:, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG).Currently, there are four vinegars with PDO and two with PGI status. The first vinegars to achieve GI status were the two Traditional Balsamic Vinegars of Modena and Reggio Emilia in the year 2000. The most recent was the PGI for Zhenjiang Xiang Cu in the year 2012. Today, with a few decades of experience since the implementation of GI, it is time to draw up a balance of the costs and benefits of the system.

Sensorial Properties and Evaluation of Balsamic Vinegars

Sensory analysis is a very powerful and useful tool, offering significant contributions to the quality assessment of TBV. An essential prerequisite for the effectiveness and reliability of TBV sensory analysis is the establishment of procedures that maximise the independence of judgement of the panelists. Precise tasting procedures and clear evaluation questionnaires were implemented to ensure a reasonable degree of independence during sensory evaluation. The evaluation form proposed has an easy-to-use layout, differing from those currently used by the TBVMO and TBVRE Consortiums, but fulfilling the most recent directives regarding sensory analysis and formulated on a scientific basis. It applies clear, easily identifiable, and officially recognised terms (i.e. bitter, sweet, salty, astringent, and pungent) that have clear meanings shared by all panel members.

The Ageing of Balsamics: Residence Time, Maturity, and Yield

It is a common opinion that “matured”, referring to balsamics, means selective products of high quality and special sensorial properties. This general idea is supported by advertisements, marketing strategies, gourmets, chefs, and dealers and is widespread on the Internet. It is obvious that balsamic age is considered a very distinctive trait, and many balsamic products claim or fake the improbable age of 100 years. In this chapter, the age and the maturity of TBV are clearly defined: the first is the time of residence (RT) in the barrel set, and the second is the degree of chemical and physical modification that occurred during the RT. The procedure of refilling the barrel set produces a blending of vinegars of different RT in each barrel. To calculate the actual RT in each barrel and of the TBV tapped off, a mathematical model was developed. During the extended ageing period, a lot of chemical and physical modifications occur, transforming the rheological and sensorial properties of TBV.

History of Balsamic Vinegars

Amongst the most famous condiments produced in Europe, and more precisely in Italy, there is a group of vinegars that have recently achieved outstanding worldwide fame for their peculiar historical iter and recent commercial success: the “balsamic vinegars”. Starting from first vague evidences during the Roman Empire, the evolutionary pathway that has brought this peculiar group of vinegars and condiments under the form we know nowadays is incredibly rich and complex. Notwithstanding the number of historical documents, its impossible to draw a complete and accurate picture, but at least all the available sources can be examined and integrated together, in order to compose an analytical outline. Scope of this chapter is to show the available historical proofs of balsamic vinegars evolution through the time.