Food Grade Alcohol: What Is It and How Can You Use It?

You've probably heard of the term food grade alcohol. This might sound confusing, as alcohol shouldn't necessarily be used as food. Simply put, if we were to put this substance in recipes, we would constantly be drunk.

Despite what you might think, alcohol can be used in a plethora of ways. The chemical can be modified in any way we see fit. Oftentimes, companies mix it with other substances, thus creating denatured alcohols. You can find a lot of these products in the Simple Solvents shop.
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In this article, we will talk about food grade alcohol and how we can use it. Read on!

What is food grade alcohol?

As you can presume based on its name, this substance is safe for human consumption. "Alcohol" actually refers to ethyl alcohol. The reason why we can use it is that there are no added chemicals to the mixture. The product is completely pure and safe.

Besides the term "food grade alcohol," companies use various other phrases to describe this product. You might have heard of non-denatured alcohol, food grade ethanol, 190 proof grain, grain, alcohol, food grade EtOH, and anhydrous ethanol.

​While there are numerous phrases used for this substance, it refers to precisely the same thing.

How is food grade alcohol different from denatured alcohol?

A lot of alcohol products are categorized as denatured alcohols.

These products cannot be consumed like food grade items. In fact, companies add chemicals to pure ethanol to make it undrinkable. Denatured alcohol may have a noticeably different color, foul odor, or something else that would dissuade people from consuming it.

The main reason why companies create denatured products in the first place is that they would reduce the base tax on the substance. Consumable alcohols have very steep taxes, which is why they are often repurposed.

Denatured alcohol and food grade alcohol is also used in different ways. Denatured products evaporate quickly, making them ideal cleaning substances. On the other hand, food grade alcohol is utilized for the creation of various foods as well as for food processing and extraction.
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How do we use food grade alcohol?

​The word ethanol was first created back in 1892. It was a mixture of two chemical terms, "ethane" and "ol.” Ethane refers to a carbon chain, while ol refers to the alcohol group. Anyway, the substance has numerous applications and can be used by different types of companies.

Here are some of the most common applications:

• Extraction of hemp and marijuana
• For creating various flavor extracts such as root, botanical, vanilla, and so on
• It can be used for making vinegar
• For the production of various topical products and botanical tinctures
• It is used for perfumes and cosmetics
• Great for mushroom tinctures as well as chaga decoctions
• It is often used by cake companies, bakeries, and candy shops
• The substance is used for French polishing. Oftentimes, companies make shellac thinners from it, which is then utilized for fine instruments
• Perhaps the best organic sanitizing and cleaning chemical
• For personal care items such as soaps, lotions, salves, shampoos, deodorants
• Oftentimes used as a fuel for boat and camps stoves

Although the product can be utilized in numerous ways, you need to know how to do it properly. It is still a flammable product, so you need to take precautionary measures beforehand.
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The best places to buy food grade ethanol

When purchasing a product, it is very important to buy it from established stores. Keep in mind that companies often mix their alcohol products with other chemicals resulting in various volatile substances. You don't want to buy food grade alcohol from a company that isn't good at labeling, or that doesn't take care of their shipments.

Needless to say, the product is always stored in strong, protected barrels. Anything else and the chemical can be endangered during the transport. A company needs to take care and avoid any damage to these barrels.

Make sure to buy from stores that only sell alcohols and solvents, such as the Simple Solvent store. We have some of the best food grade alcohol products in the country, and you can’t make a mistake when purchasing from us.
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Food grade alcohol and its safety

It is very important to mention that this product is completely safe, unlike some other types of alcohol. While it does burn, we can consume it without any harm to our bodies.

These solvents have been used by humans for thousands of years. Because of that, we know everything there is about the potential health risks of the substance, as well as its addictiveness. While you should never overdo it with alcohol consumption, that doesn't mean you cannot use it whatsoever.

Food grade solvents do not have any added chemicals. Furthermore, even if you use them for further production of foods and drinks, they should still be safe for consumption (if done properly). You can also apply the chemical to your skin without any damage to the tissue.
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The last things you need to know about food grade ethanol

After reading the article, you should have a better understanding of the substance. An important thing to note is that every ethanol is alcohol, but not every alcohol is ethanol. This is the purest version of the product and, if it doesn't have any added ingredients, you can use it any way you see fit.

Here are some other phrases that are often misunderstood and that we need to elaborate on:
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• Absolute alcohol is a substance that doesn’t have more than 1% of water.
• Anhydrous alcohol refers to chemicals that have no water whatsoever. The alternative name for this substance is 100% ethyl alcohol
• As already mentioned, denatured alcohol is alcohol that changed its natural state (often by adding chemicals). On the other hand, nondenatured alcohol refers to products that have no added chemicals. The only substance from this category is food grade ethanol.
• Terms such as grain alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and ethanol are interchangeable, and they all refer to liquids that are safe for human consumption.

​Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Drink Food Grade Ethanol?

Yes, you can. However, it would be wise to take this solvent in a diluted form. And luckily, most beer and liquor distilleries do that work for you.

Rum, vodka, whiskey, and cocktails are all drinks whose base is food-grade ethanol. Benefits you can expect from moderate alcohol consumption include relaxation, well-being, and enhanced sociableness.

This ethanol is also a common additive in many food-related procedures. Why? Because purity is its main feature and selling point. Therefore, other utilities include food preservation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or hemp extraction.

Why Is 95% Food Grade Ethanol Used in Plant Extraction?

A high ethanol concentration is more effective, pure, and easily retrievable. Furthermore, you’ll get a high amount of oil, terpenes, alkaloids, and phenols. And when you combine all those compounds, you have a premium and potent product.

Food-grade ethanol is cost-effective and allows for scalability. This benefit is because of the high volatility feature that ethanol has. You can thus trap the liquid after evaporation, condense, and re-use it without losing effectiveness.

Those benefits are good, but there’s a problem. Solvent extraction also retrieves chlorophyll from botanicals or hemp. But don’t worry. You’ll remove that impurity through winterization.

Is 200 Proof Ethanol Food Grade?

Yes, it is. This solvent is the purest product you’ll find in the market. There are no additives such as methanol, acetone, or kerosene, meaning you can use this alcohol for food-related consumables.

Other names for 200-proof ethanol are absolute, pure, or 100% alcohol. This solvent also meets the USP and Kosher standards, allowing smooth, fast, and pure extraction.

Can Food Grade Ethanol Be Used in Cosmetics?

Yes, you can. Alcohol is an effective solvent in solubilizing cosmetic ingredients. The benefit of this feature is that you get fast skin penetration of the vital ingredients.

Food-grade alcohol also protects your skin because of its purity. You thus avoid acne, allergies, and skin irritation because of the alcohol denaturants and get all the therapeutic benefits.

Beware that alcohol, in whatever grade, causes skin drying. You would thus benefit from adding skin emollients and moisturizers for the best effect. Examples of beauty products containing ethanol include lotions, hair sprays, and astringents.

Can Food Grade Ethanol Be Used for Cleaning?

Yes. You’ll benefit most from this solvent when it has a 40–70% concentration. Therefore, you might want to dilute 95–100% food-grade alcohol to that level.

Why? Because destroying bacterial or viral cell walls require a longer contact time. And more water provides that effect while alcohol solubilizes and denatures membrane lipids and proteins.

For that reason, you’ll find that sanitizers, cleaning agents, and alcohol wipes contain an optimal water-to-alcohol ratio.

Is Food Grade Ethanol Good for Flavouring?

Yes. Many bakers and beverage manufacturers use alcohol to extract natural flavors and aromas. An excellent example is the vanilla extract from vanilla beans.
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The FDA also approves this solvent as ideal for food processing. That endorsement is because the final products are pure, and you won’t get drunk. Purging is effortless.