Alcohol powder

Alcohol powder or powdered alcohol is a product generally made using micro-encapsulation. When reconstituted with water alcohol powder becomes an alcoholic beverage. In March 2015 four product labels for specific powdered alcohol products were approved by the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) which opened the doors for legal product sales. However, as of January 4, 2016, the product is not yet available for sale and legalization remains controversial due to public-health and other concerns.^[1] Researchers have expressed concern that, should the product go into production, increases in alcohol misuse, abuse, and associated physical harm to its consumers could occur above what has been historically associated with liquid alcohol alone (see 'Public Health Concerns' section below).

History

Invention

In 1966 (1966) Sato Foods Industries Co., Ltd. invented alcohol powderization. Sato is a food additives and seasoning manufacturer in Aichi Pref., Japan. (ja:佐藤食品工業 (愛知県))^[2][3] A year later, in 1967, Sato began production and sales of various kinds of "high content alcohol powder Alcock" ("高含度アルコール粉末「アルコック」").^[3]

On 15 January 1974, a practical manufacturing process for alcohol powder was patented by Sato.^[4][5][6][7] Sato has patented the process in 17 countries around the world.^[8][9][10]

In the 1970s Sato began promoting powdered alcohol in the United States. Test sales began in 1977 under the trade name "SureShot".^[11][12] The product "Palcohol" was introduced in the U.S. in 2015.

Authorization and legality

In the United States

In March, 2015, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved four powdered alcohol products with the brand name 'Palcohol' for sale in the U.S. However, individual states, not the TTB, are responsible for regulating the sale of alcohol or tobacco products at the retail level, including sales to minors.^[13] Shortly after the TTB approval was announced, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responded to inaccurate reports implying that it had approved powdered alcohol as being safe. The FDA clarified that its role was to evaluate the nonalcoholic ingredients and that based on its evaluation of specific powdered alcohol products it had no legal basis to block their entry into the U.S. market.^[14]

By November 2015, most states had introduced legislation and laws to regulate or ban powdered alcohol. Twenty-seven have banned powdered alcohol, 2 more have placed temporary 1-year bans on the product and 3 have included powdered alcohol under their statutory definitions of alcohol meaning that it is covered by existing alcohol regulations.^[15]

In Japan

The Japanese Liquor Tax Act (ja:酒税法) amendment of April 1981^[16][17] classifies powdered alcohol as an alcoholic beverage. In the production of powdered alcohol some non-alcoholic ingredients are added which is similar to some liqueurs Nonetheless powdered alcohol became a separate category of alcoholic beverages.

On May 1981, Sato received the first license to produce alcohol powder commercially. In Japan, powdered alcohol is officially called, funmatsu-shu (ja:粉末酒, lit. 'powdered-alcoholic beverage').^[3] Powdered alcohol is defined by law as a "Powdery substance that can be dissolved, and can make a beverage containing 1% or more alcohol by volume."^[18]

Before the 1981 amendment, powdered alcohol was outside the scope of Liquor Tax, as it is not a liquid.^[19]

Customer base

Officially, Sato says that its products are for business use only, for example for the use of food-processing industries or food-and-drink businesses (e.g. restaurant, café, sweets shop, bakery shop, etc.). Mainly, its products are to be used as food additives. Other than purposes for test sale, research, etc., it has never been sold for eating or drinking, including personal use or home use.^[9][20]

In June 1982, Sato started production and sales for the drinking powdered alcohol, as test case. Its name is "powdered cocktail Alcock-Light cocktail" ("粉末カクテル 'アルコック・ライトカクテル' ").^[3][19] At least, during some years, it seems that had continued to test sales.^[21][22]

Public health concerns

Alcohol is well known as a harmful substance that can lead to serious accidental or intentional injury as well as negative health outcomes including: liver diseases, numerous cancers, and physiologic dependence.^[23] The younger the age at which a person begins to consume alcohol, the higher the likelihood that that person will become dependent and suffer negative health effects [reference]. Use of powdered alcohol is too new for the health risks to be quantified but it is anticipated to be similar, but potentially more severe, than liquid alcohol due to a number of unique factors:

• Potency: Ability to add powdered alcohol to liquid alcohol or to reconstitute the alcohol at greater concentrations than intended (concern for binge drinking or alcohol poisoning)
• Concealability and portability: Increased ease with which people, including youths, could bring alcohol to places where it is banned, such as movie or concert venues, schools, or parks (concern for increased alcohol consumption, especially by at-risk persons)
• Novel delivery methods: Potential to incorporate powdered alcohol into food or to snort it (concern for ingesting more than intended or the enticement of rapid intoxication)
• Lack of familiarity: Unless reconstituted at intended concentrations (concern for accidental alcohol overdoses due to consumption in unfamiliar forms by people, including children, who are not aware of the potency)

Consideration for retailers

As with the public health concerns, the following concerns have been posed but data are not yet available to prove or disprove them. Because of the unique characteristics of powdered alcohol introduction in the U.S. could raise significant concerns from alcohol retailers such as restaurants, bars, sporting venues,^[24] including:

• Availability of powdered alcohol could negatively affect retailers' economic interests as customers might purchase less relatively expensive alcohol from those businesses by augmenting their purchased drinks with cheaper powdered alcohol purchased elsewhere.
• Use of powdered alcohol by customers could hinder these businesses' abilities to monitor their customers' alcohol consumption - which they are legally required to do to try to prevent the consumption of alcohol by intoxicated or under-age customers. This could put them at greater risk of civil-liability lawsuits (because retailers are held liable for alcohol-attributable harms caused by customers who should not have been served alcohol).

Production process

Powdered alcohol is made by a process called micro-encapsulation.

An auxiliary material for a capsule may be any readily water-soluble substance (e.g. carbohydrate such as dextrins (starch hydrolyzate), protein such as gelatin). For powdered alcohol, maltodextrin (a type of dextrin) was chosen.

For the process to encapsulate, a method called spray drying was selected.^[19][25]

This process, in short explanation, is like this below.

• Mixture of dextrin and liquor are dried into powder by spray drying in short time.
  • After spraying, the mixture becomes many micro-sized drops.
  • By the heat, hydrous dextrin outside of each ball forms film.
  • Once the film gets dry, the ball becomes a microcapsule containing liquor and dextrin.

The size of the capsule is up to several hundred µm.

Before and after drying, comparing the amounts of water and alcohol, about 90% of water is removed and about 10% of ethyl alcohol is lost.^[21] One of the reasons which are considered, is the following.

In mixtures such as this, the speed of molecule movement is dependent on molecule size and carbohydrate (in this case, maltodextrin) concentration. Water, the smallest molecule in the mixture, is able to move and evaporate fastest. In higher concentration, by decreasing water, water molecules can move much faster. After the film formed it is less permeable to larger molecules than water. By the time the film is completed, water has evaporated enough. This phenomenon is called "selective diffusion."^[26]

In general, after sprayed, encapsulation for each drop is completed within about 0.1 second from the very beginning of the process. There is no time for the internal convection in each drop or capsule to occur.^[21]

Ultimately, large amounts of microcapsules have been produced. These become the powdery matter called powdered alcohol or alcohol powder. According to Sato's web page, powdered alcohol contains 30.5% ethyl alcohol by volume in the state of powder.^[10]

In addition to the mixture before drying, if necessary, other additives (e.g. extract, sweetener, spices, coloring matter, etc.) may be added.

As a result, alcohol powder can be said to be an alcoholic beverage that is "dry". For example, a "dry martini" made from alcohol powder may be referred to as a "dry dry martini" or "dried dry martini".^[11]

In the production of alcoholic powder production, other drying methods are not used.

For drying foods, there are other methods.^[27]

Typically, thinking about quality of powdered product, such as coffee, it can be thought that freeze drying seems to be better than spray drying. But, this does not apply to alcohol powder production. In fact, although for seasoning, "freeze dried beer" was made by university students for their research. Carbon dioxide, water and alcohol have all been lost.^[28]

Due to the volatility of alcohol, relatively higher than water, time-consuming methods, such as freeze drying, should not be used. By selective diffusion, loss of alcohol is relatively small.

Non-commercial production

In 2014, an article on the website PopSci.com published instructions on how to make powderized alcohol easily, through a simple mixture of alcohol and dextrin.^[29]

In this method, the powder is not encapsulated, and also not yet fully dried. Consequently, alcohol continues to evaporate from it, very rapidly.

Due to flaws in the powdered alcohol produced by this method, this form of powdered alcohol was said to be unsuitable for drinking, carrying, or preserving.

Any production of powdered alcohol without a license is illegal in Japan, even if it is only for personal use, according to the Liquor Tax Act of Japan.

Market

Sale in Japan

Currently, the alcoholic beverage industry in Japan is large and powerful. For example, in fiscal year 2013, Suntory, one of the country's largest beverage companies, recorded sales of 570.7 billion yen (about US$4.7 billion) in alcoholic beverages, excluding wine^[30] Currently, the sales revenue from powdered alcohol has been too small to affect the sales of liquid-alcohol companies. Additionally, powdered alcohol's market share is currently too small to be considered as a statistical item in Japanese tax reports.^[31]

Powdered alcohol is found in some mass production foods, used in small amounts (as are other additives).

Promotion in the United States

In 1977 (1977), the Associated Press delivered the first news story in the United States about powdered alcohol, which was then an unprecedented product. Investors were quoted as saying that they "hope[d] to revolutionize the liquor business with a product that's easy to carry, cheap and potent." A test sale of powdered alcohol, called "SureShot," was done in the United States.^[11][12][17]

Prevalence and legal status in other countries

Australia

Powdered alcohol is illegal in the state of Victoria, as of 1 July 2015. However, a national ban was rejected.^[32]

Germany

In 2005 (2005), a product called Subyou was reportedly distributed from Germany on the Internet.

The product was available in four flavours and packed in 65-gram, or possibly 100-gram, sachets. When mixed with 0.25 litres of water, it created a drink with 4.8% alcohol. It was assumed that a German producer manufactured the alcopop powder based on imported raw alcohol powder from the U.S.^[33]

Later, Subyou disappeared.^[34]

Netherlands

In 2007, four food technology students in the Netherlands invented a powdered alcohol product called "Booz2go."^[35] They claimed that when mixed with water, the powder would produce a bubbly, lime-coloured and lime-flavoured drink, with 3% alcohol. When put into commercial production, it was expected to sell for €1.50 (approx. US$1.60) for a 20 gram sachet.

The product's creators and marketers - Harm van Elderen, Martyn van Nierop, and others at Helicon Vocational Institute in Boxtel - claimed to be aiming at the youth market. They compared the drink to alcopops like Bacardi Breezer, and said they expected the relatively low alcohol content would be popular with the young segment.

Because of complexities in Dutch laws, powdered alcohol like Booz2Go would not be subject to the Alcohol and Horeca Code, because it is not literally an alcoholic drink. This means that anybody of any age could buy it legally. However, when dissolved in water, it would be subject to the Code, according to Director Wim van Dalen of the Dutch National Foundation for Alcohol Prevention. Von Dalen commented that while he generally did not support new alcoholic drinks, he doubted the powder would become attractive. A spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport said they would not undertake any actions against the product, but added that the label would have to contain a warning about any health risks for the consumer, in accordance with other laws.^[36]

In 2014, Booz2go is not yet commercially available.^[34]

Russia

Russia plans to ban powdered alcohol in 2016.^[37]

According to one Russian news site, in 2009, a Professor at Saint Petersburg Technological University named Yevgeny Moskalev invented and patented a method of creating alcohol powder. This method could make alcohol powder from any kind of alcoholic beverage.^[38]

The method was tested on 96% spirit vodka. In this method, melted wax (stearic acid) is stirred, and the alcoholic drink is poured in. The solution dissipates, and becomes drops containing alcohol and wax. The drops that solidify constitute alcohol powder.

It was proposed that Moskalev's powdered alcohol could be wrapped in paper and carried around in a pocket or a bag. In addition, a pill form, containing alcohol, was also made with this method.

Professor Moskalev responded: "powdered vodka tastes like a candle"; "I did not like vodka in pills"; and, in conclusion, "vodka is best consumed the old way".

United States

In the United States, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), alcohol powders which are intended for beverage use fall within the jurisdiction of both the federal government (the TTB) and the state governments. Under the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, state and territory governments also have substantial regulatory powers over "intoxicating liquors."

In 2008, Pulver Spirits began developing a line of alcohol powder products, to be marketed in the United States. The marketing was reportedly intended to be in full compliance with alcohol regulations and targeted at adults of legal drinking age.^[39]

In Spring 2014, the Arizona-based company Lipsmark LLC announced that it would start marketing powdered alcohol under the name "Palcohol."^[40] This caused considerable controversy, after the product was approved by the TTB for sale. This approval was later attributed to a "labeling error," and the manufacturer surrendered the approvals.^[41]

In 2014, Ohio state legislators introduced legislation that would ban Palcohol and all other powdered alcohol.^[42] The following year, Iowa state legislators followed suit.^[43]

Eventually, in March 2015, TTB granted Palcohol approval.^[44]

On 25 March 2015, alcohol wholesalers and distributors in the state of Maryland announced an agreement to voluntarily ban the distribution and sale of powdered alcohol.^[45] Concerns included the potential for abuse by minors; the ease of using the powder to bring alcohol into public events or to spike drinks; and the potential to snort the powder. At the same time a bill to ban Palcohol for one year was under consideration in the Maryland House of Delegates.

In September 2015, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission banned the sale of Palcohol.^[46]

United Kingdom

The legal status of powdered alcohol in United Kingdom is uncertain.^[47] In a January 2015 answer to a parliamentary question, Lord Bates wrote "The Government is aware of powdered alcohol from media reports and the banning of the product in five states of the United States of America. The Government is not aware of powdered alcohol being marketed or made available to buy in England and Wales."^[48]

References and annotation

Further reading

• "Powdered alcohol approved for sale, bill filed to keep it out of Texas". KVUE. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015. 
• "Legislative Activity – Dangerous Products", Alcohol Justice.