Composition and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages—a Review

Abstract

The primary purpose of this review is to emphasize the central role of yeast in the production of the volatile aroma compounds of alcoholic beverages: fusel alcohols, carbonyl compounds, fatty acids, esters, etc. The small quantities of lactones and phenolic compounds extracted from wood during aging also contribute to the aroma. Animal experiments have shown that the aroma compounds in alcoholic beverages are not harmful to health. The paper shows the importance of acetaldehyde metabolism and the relationship between genetic factors and alcohol consumption, and presents some of the current ideas suggesting that serotonin and other biogenic amines may be involved in alcohol addiction.