Difference Between White and Distilled Vinegar (With Table)

Vinegar is a common household item that can be found in every kitchen. This ingredient plays a vital role in every cooking and house cleaning. From various historic documents, it has been established that vinegar making is as old as alcoholic brewing. For a long time, mankind has used vinegar for both culinary and medicinal purposes. With time, mankind also learned to make different variants of vinegar.

Currently, in the market, there are over 21 varieties of vinegar available. Out of this wide variant, white and distilled vinegar is very common. From the appearance, both of these kinds of vinegar look the same. For this reason, many people get confused between them and often make interchange with them. However, white and distilled kinds of vinegar are two different types of vinegar and used for different purposes.

White vs Distilled Vinegar

The main difference between White and Distilled Vinegar is that white vinegar is a common type of vinegar with 93–96% water and 4–7% acetic acid concentration and used for food preparation & cleaning in every household, while the distilled vinegar is a distilled variety of vinegar with 80-95% water and 5-20% acetic acid concentration and used for herbal medicine & industrial food production.


 

Comparison Table Between White and Distilled Vinegar (in Tabular Form)

Parameter of Comparison

White Vinegar

Distilled Vinegar

What is it

A common type of vinegar for food preparation in every household.

A distilled variety of vinegar which is commonly used for industrial food preparations.

Commonly known as

spirit vinegar

virgin vinegar

Made from

Potatoes, molasses, beets, and sugar canes.

Grains and sugar canes.

Concentration

93–96% water and 4–7% acetic acid.

80-95% water and 5-20% acetic acid

Use

For common household uses like cooking, cleaning, and gardening

For industrial food preparation and herbal medicine production.

 

What is White Vinegar?

White vinegar is a household item around the world. In the market, this vinegar is commonly known as spirit vinegar. The sparkling colour is a common distinctiveness of this vinegar. Most of the time, this vinegar is used for common household works including cooking, cleaning, and gardening.

Traditionally vinegar was produced from potatoes, molasses, beets, and sugar canes. It may take a couple of months for fermentation through traditional processes. It is an intricate process that includes multiple secret methods for vinegar processing. Many farmers in Eastern Europe still follow their tradition for vinegar production.

But in recent times ethanol or grain alcohol is used for white vinegar production. Most white vinegar brands available in the market contain 93–96% water and 4–7% acetic acid. For this reason, white vinegar is safe for consumption.

Most white kinds of vinegar are odourless but few brands sell them with fruity flavour. Even though white vinegar doesn’t contain any nutritional element but it offers immense health benefits. White vinegar can give multiple benefits for blood sugar control, cholesterol reduction, weight management, and antimicrobial infection.

Excessive consumption of white vinegar may increase the risk of inflammatory conditions in the stomach and cause heartburn and indigestion. It can also damage tooth enamels if used inappropriately.

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What is Distilled Vinegar?

Distilled vinegar is one of the purest forms of vinegar. In the market, it is known as virgin vinegar. Compared to other forms of vinegar it contains a much higher concentration of acetic acid. The colour of distilled vinegar is transparent like water. Most of the time, this vinegar is used for industrial food production and herbal medicines.

As the name suggests, most distilled kinds of vinegar are produced in distilleries through industrial processes.  Most distilled vinegar is produced from grains and sugar canes. The fermentation period for distilled vinegar takes only 72 hours. Due to the distillation process, distilled vinegar is completely odour and flavourless.

Most distilled kinds of vinegar available in the market contain around 5-20% acetic acid and 80-95% water. For this reason, it is not safe for direct consumption. Direct consumption of distilled vinegar may cause damage to the stomach, liver, and kidney. It can also cause diarrhoea and lose motion. However, it can be diluted with water before consumption.

Many industrial bakeries use distilled vinegar for food production. A higher concentration on acetic acid helps them process food items quickly. Distilled vinegar is also a very effective disinfect. Therefore, many herbal medicine producers also use it as natural disinfect and medicinal usage.

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Main Differences Between White and Distilled Vinegar

  1. White vinegar is a common type of vinegar for food preparation in every household. On the other hand, distilled vinegar is a distilled variety of vinegar which is commonly used for industrial food preparations.
  2. In the market white vinegar is commonly known as spirit vinegar, while the distilled vinegar is known as virgin vinegar.
  3. White Vinegar is generally made from potatoes, molasses, beets, and sugar canes. But, distilled vinegar is made from grains and sugar canes.
  4. Acidic concentration is much lower in white vinegar. It contains only 93–96% water and 4–7% acetic acid. On the other hand, Acidic concentration is much higher in distilled vinegar. It contains around 80-95% of water and 5-20% acetic acid.
  5. In common household purposes, white vinegar are used for cooking, cleaning, and gardening. However, distilled vinegar is used for industrial food preparation and herbal medicine production.

 

Conclusion

Vinegar is a common ingredient in every kitchen. Many delectable dishes like cheese making, baking, sauces, salads, and pickles won’t be possible without this essential ingredient. White vinegar is good for regular cooking, cleaning, and gardening purposes. The low acidic concentration of this vinegar improves digestion, and many people consume it for health purposes.

On the other hand, distilled vinegar is the purest form of vinegar. Its heavy acidic concentration makes it ideal for industrial food processing. Many bee farmers also use this ingredient for eco-friendly cleaning.

Scientifically it has been proven as an effective disinfection element. The mild acidic element of this vinegar kills microbes without causing any damage to the bees. Many herbal medicine companies also use distilled vinegar for medicinal production.


References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1561541309600557
  2. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/35/5/article-p898.xml

Last update on 2022-04-03 / Amazon Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API