Do you feel that most wellness discussions revolve around using apple cider vinegar (ACV) with the mother? In fact, are you still asking yourself, “What is mother of vinegar?” Get answers to every burning question, like, “Why is everyone drinking apple cider vinegar with the mother?” and more.
The mother is full of healthy bacteria (probiotics), which is filtered out in pasteurized vinegar. Thus, people drink raw vinegar, most always apple cider vinegar (ACV) with the mother, for its plethora of health benefits. Surprisingly, there are a ton of uses for mother vinegar.
Raw= pure; unpasteurized; unfiltered; unprocessed
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All names are created equal. |
(the) mother of vinegar; (the) mother in vinegar; (the) vinegar mother; (the) vinegar’s mother |
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All of these terms are the same. |
mother-infused vinegar; mother vinegar; vinegar with (the) mother; vinegar with (the) mother in it |
In particular, only organic vinegar in stores has the mother.
Understand exactly what the mother of vinegar is and how it’s formed. Especially, learn why drinking raw vinegar can be the best investment for your insides and out. Credible case studies and food science are examined.
Biochemistry: This is the study of molecular changes and processes of living organisms. We learn how cells interact within each other and what causes many diseases.
Microbiology: branch of biochemistry; analyzes all micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses (microbes). Using microbes, scientists have created medicine that saves lives such as penicillin and the smallpox vaccine.
What is the Mother in Vinegar?
Scientific name: acetic acid bacteria (AAB) from the Acetobacteraceae family
AAB are live microorganisms that naturally form and grow on fermenting alcohol (ethanol), such as beer, cider, or wine. Then, the AAB oxidizes (converts) the ethanol to acetic acid, thereby organically creating vinegar. In essence, the mother is solely responsible for producing vinegar from a fermenting mixture.
AAB are probiotics (good bacteria) carrying anti-microbial properties. This helps fight off pathogens causing bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses. Depending on the type of vinegar, Table 2 shows the different species of AAB present in the mother.
The mother of vinegar has two components:
- essential to the biochemistry of every living organism on Earth
- organically made from spoiled/fermented fruits wherever sugar ferments
- part of carboxylic acid group (organic compounds); composed of only two carbons
- natural food preservative
- an insoluble fiber (fiber humans cannot digest, but gives benefits by moving through the digestive system/intestines to push out waste)
- can be digested by farm animals (found in grass) for energy and nutrients
- the main molecule in plant cell walls
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist credited for first identifying the vinegar mother. His claim that living microorganisms were responsible for the chemical conversion in fermentation, was the first recorded.
Pasteur discovered that bacteria was responsible for converting a fermenting mixture into alcohol (ethanol), and then into acid. As a result of his research, pasteurization was named after him.
What Does “with Mother” mean in Vinegar?
“With mother” means that the vinegar mother has not been filtered out, nor has some of the food residue, from the food that produced the vinegar.
The vinegar mother is composed of acetic acid bacteria (AAB), types of live microorganisms, also known as probiotics. Natural (whole) foods carry a variety of nutrients. Moreover, foods decompose and ferment differently, meaning they can chemically alter in diverse ways. Raw vinegar has a wide range of bioactive compounds such as amino acids, other organic acids, organic sugars, and vitamins and minerals, not only from the mother, but from leftover food residue.
As a note, sugars are oxidized in vinegar, so there are no calories or carbs in pure vinegar.
Probiotics such as AAB are good, healthy bacteria because they hold anti-microbial properties. Antimicrobial resistance gives our body a wide range of benefits. Antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antioxidative, antitumor, antiviral effects, and more all come from probiotic sources such as raw vinegar.
Therefore, probiotics can help us fight off bad bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and other pathogens. To highlight, infections, diseases, food poisoning, colds, and the flu can all be curbed.
In short, mother vinegar leaves all of this “good gunk” in, but pasteurized vinegar processes it out. “With mother” means that there are AAB strains floating around or food particles settled at the bottom that can benefit your health. Undoubtedly, “the mother” is the most vital part of vinegar. A vinegar mother forms in every bottle of every type of raw vinegar.
How to Make Mother of Vinegar
(How to Make Vinegar from Scratch)
Fermentation.
Infinite websites and books dedicated to vinegar making state, “To make a vinegar mother, use an existing mother or raw vinegar.” However, this is not a complete answer. Adding raw vinegar or the mother to alcohol or existing vinegar is the quick way to make more vinegar with a new vinegar mother.
Vinegar births from any fermentable carbohydrate such as beets, fruit, grains, potatoes, or whey.
Household (Distilled White) Vinegar:
- Ethanol (any grain alcohol) ferments with sugar and yeast.
- 4-7% acetic acid and 2.5-2.7 pH
Wine Vinegar:
- Wine ferments with yeast.
- 5-6% acetic acid and 2.6-2.8 pH
Cider Vinegar:
- Cut up or mashed fruit ferments in sugar water. Adding yeast speeds up the process.
- 5-6% acetic acid and vary in pH
- pineapple vinegar 2.8-2.9 pH
- apple (cider) vinegar 3.3-3.5 pH
Cover the mixture with a cheese cloth and rubber band. Or, screw the lid on very loosely. This allows air to get through (oxygen). Over the course of weeks, the natural sugars and/or yeast ferment from exposed air, thereby oxidizing into alcohol (ethanol). Ethanol is drinkable alcohol. Stopping the process here, can create cider or wine.
With further fermentation, acetic acid bacteria form on the ethanol and convert (oxidize) it into acetic acid. Therefore, vinegar can be made from any drinking alcohol. Vinegar is diluted, natural acetic acid and a fermented (cultured) substance. It is the final result after months of a mixture sitting in a dark place to ferment.
What is the Mother in Cider Vinegar?
From white vinegar, to cider vinegar, to wine vinegar, every vinegar mother is acetic acid bacteria (AAB). Although, the species of AAB and other nutrients present will depend on the type of vinegar. Acetobacter aceti is the most common type of AAB found in the mother cider vinegar.
Moreover, cider vinegar contains higher amounts of antioxidants. These stem from the wide variety of organic acids and sugars, such as amino acids, along with vitamins and minerals present in fruit. For example, tiny, fermented, fruit particles are left in raw cider vinegar that give additional benefits to the body.
Cider vinegar is essentially just fruit vinegar. For example, apple vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the same. All cider vinegars are initially fruit juice. Further fermented, juice turns into cider, then hard cider, then vinegar.
In fact, the more dissolved solids, especially natural sugars, the higher the antioxidant or phenolic content. Antioxidants from organic acids and sugars can strengthen the immune system, give you energy, and aid in healthy metabolism and blood glucose levels. Table 1 shows us phenolic compounds in apple and grape vinegars.
Acetic acid forms organically in spoiling or fermented substances. Likewise, acetic acid naturally grows in fruits and plants wherever sugar ferments. Therefore, a multitude of fruits can turn into ciders and then vinegars. For example, apples, citrus, berries, grapes, melons, and pineapple can all be made into vinegar.
What is Mother Vinegar Good for?
Acetic acid bacteria (the mother) contains probiotics (healthy bacteria) that have natural anti-microbial power. Better yet, raw vinegar does not filter out residue from the foods used to create it. This leaves further, essential nutrients in such as enzymes, organic acids and sugars, vitamins, and minerals.
For example, vinegars have a range of acids other than acetic acid that also carry antimicrobial resistance. Table 3 shows organic acids present in different vinegars. Specifically, Table 4 shows phenolic compounds present in vinegars, which are rich in antioxidants.
All can help the body fight off pathogens causing bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses internally and topically. For example, food poisoning, the common cold and flu, pneumonia, upper respiratory contagions, and other types of infections all can be avoided.
Check out the functional properties of different vinegars in Table 1. In addition, the enzymes in raw vinegar can guide your system to absorb the most nutrients from the food you eat. Drinking or adding raw vinegar to food is the easiest way to get its nourishment.
In short, the mother in vinegar can balance and detoxify (depollute; clean out; purify) your entire inside system. Your organs will thank you. Many people drink raw ACV (with the mother) for health.
Conversely, there are many other uses for raw vinegar. Using it in homemade cleaners, disinfectants, and deodorizers has become popular. In addition, raw vinegar topically can be a homeopathic cure for certain ailments.
What to do with Mother of Vinegar
The most important thing the mother of vinegar (acetic acid bacteria; AAB) can give is resistance from infection and disease. Good/healthy bacteria (probiotics) such as AAB can do wonders for your health, inside and out. Therefore, the benefits of mother vinegar are endless and it can be used for almost anything. If you’re going to use mother (raw) vinegar, apple cider vinegar is your best option. It’s widely available, cheap, and tasty.
Drink raw ACV and use it in recipes for its flavor and nutrients. When diluted with water, ACV is a surprisingly refreshing, slightly tart beverage. Remember, heating unpasteurized products can pasteurize or sterilize them. For example, adding ACV to boiling or hot water for tea may kill some of the mother. Drink ACV with cold or warm water for maximum benefits.
Millions of people around the world drink and use vinegar in food every day. Make life easy. Drink a cheap and simple ACV tonic: The original Dirty Water.
There are other very beneficial uses for mother vinegar.
- Use as an organic conditioning rinse and facial (and body) toner to help fight skin and hair infections, as well as giving you other beauty benefits.
- Gargle as a natural mouthwash to fight mouth infection and other problems.
- Make a homemade disinfectant and cleaner.
- Use it to kick start a new batch of raw vinegar.
Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother
As a result, many health experts strongly suggest anyone looking to drink raw vinegar for health benefits, to use raw apple cider vinegar (ACV with the mother).
ACV with the mother has been a focus of health and wellness because it is the most popular vinegar to drink and use in cooking. It’s abundant, cheap, flavorful, and highly nutritious. Essential nutrients like enzymes (proteins), a variety of organic acids, vitamins, and minerals from the apple are still present in raw vinegar because it is unfiltered. Remember, enzymes help your body break down the food you eat for a strong, healthy digestive system.
Think of drinking raw ACV as a delicious and easy to make, natural medicine. Why would anyone want to drink white vinegar or wine vinegar?
Read about the extensive list of internal benefits from drinking ACV with the mother daily, including healthy blood glucose levels.
Other than for internal health benefits, raw ACV’s power protects basically any surface. Your home, garden, hair, and skin will benefit from its antimicrobial properties that can fight off bacteria, fungus, viruses, and parasites.
Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother vs. Without
Unlike raw (unpasteurized) vinegar, pasteurized vinegar simply does not give the body the same health benefits. In other words, raw vinegar leaves the most nutritious part in, the mother. Healthy bacteria help your body fight off a multitude of health problems.
Various research found 92 healthy bacteria strains in organic ACV compared to 72 strains in non-organic ACV. In short, the strength and quality of nutrients is higher in organic ACV.
Of course, you can buy the cheapest or generic brand of pasteurized ACV. Acetic acid is still the main component. It holds a surplus of health benefits because of its antimicrobial properties. Yet, these properties are not as plentiful or strong as ACV with the mother.
If you want to use vinegar for something, but do not need it for health or deep disinfecting, buy filtered vinegar. For instance, pasteurized ACV is much cheaper and still holds the same flavor.
A great rule of thumb is to always have a bottle of both raw ACV and filtered ACV in the house. Best of all, substitute ACV for white vinegar for whatever purpose.
Organic Mother Vinegar
Organic and non-organic vinegar can technically both have the mother. Only organic apples and sugar produce organic apple cider vinegar (ACV). The only kind of raw vinegar in stores is organic.
Raw (unpasteurized) products do not necessarily mean organic because they can be made from non-organic ingredients. Raw is defined as nothing being filtered out. Therefore, fermenting non-organic apples and processed sugar also produces ACV. Vinegar making books and websites urge to use organic apples and sugar whenever possible.
Research does not present evidence of ACV with the mother using non-organic apples. Instead, there is research on various homemade ACV sites. All highly recommend using organic apples because they are free of pesticide residue.
Fermenting non-organic food obviously leaves pesticide residue in vinegar. Yet there is no tangible evidence that using non-organic food is harmful. In this case, the acid in vinegar would kill off anything bad.
Many people make their own apple cider vinegar. Apples usually only grow organically on the west coast. Consequently, while there is no wax on orchard apples, there is still a small amount of pesticides. Understandably, orchard apples are definitely “more organic” than apples found in grocery stores.
Can Vinegar go Bad?
No. If stored properly, vinegar will never go bad. This means, always store it in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Since vinegar is a fermented substance and raw vinegar has live microorganisms (the mother), oxygen can constantly alter its profile.
Even raw vinegar currently on store shelves (picture to right), varies in color and cloudiness. No fermentation process is exactly the same, or is the food that created it. As time goes on, more oxygen is exposed every time vinegar opens. For this reason, the composition (biochemical makeup) of vinegar changes.
After about two years, balsamic and sherry vinegar both showed more acidity. Therefore, vinegar that has been sitting in your cabinet for two years will probably taste even more bitter, but it’s definitely not bad.
Plus, the cosmetic appearance of vinegar can change after a couple of years. Cloudiness and sediment at the bottom can appear. Again, vinegar is a live (fermented; cultured) substance. Cloudiness and floating bits are a part of its appearance. Many people see swirling glops and assume a food or beverage has gone bad.
DO NOT disregard the gunk at the bottom of vinegar bottles!
What floats around like a pet jellyfish and settles at the bottom of a raw vinegar like slimy soot in a creek?
The vinegar mother.
Of course, strings of glop look gross, but this is what unprocessed food and drink look like. All in all, don’t worry about the expiration date, color, and any muddiness or deposit.
How to Store Mother of Vinegar
When storing vinegar, especially vinegar for eating and drinking, store away from heat and sunlight. Treat fermented foods, such as vinegar, the same as olive oil and other cooking liquids. Remember, vinegar is diluted acetic acid. Therefore, it’s not necessary to refrigerate raw or pasteurized vinegar to keep it fresh.
Live, cultured substances should be in a dark place. If you have a small space such as a studio apartment, do you best to keep your vinegar away from the window, any humidity, or natural light.
Absolutely do not store vinegar in metal containers. Vinegar will eat away at metal and eventually corrode it. You might find yourself looking at a pool of dried up vinegar next to a corroded metal container with holes. If you make your own vinegar, always make it in glass or ceramic containers, as you would wine or beer. To be safe, avoid stainless steel, as it is a type of metal.
Make life simple by storing vinegar properly. Shake that organic vinegar up to get the mother flowing through the entire bottle. Add some mother vinegar to your water for optimal health.
Can you Eat Mother of Vinegar?
The mother is edible and natural, but there is no need to eat it straight. Biofilms, such as the vinegar mother, are a slimy, sticky collection of microorganisms. While you may get a burst of antioxidants, there is no reason to eat the vinegar mother alone.
In fact, unless someone dared you, why would anyone want to eat a gelatinous, bitter glop?
Make life simple, drink mother vinegar diluted with water. Most importantly, always shake up raw vinegar to evenly distribute the mother.
Vinegar is sometimes used as a synonym of acetic acid. Many organizations such as the FDA urge to separate the two because ingesting acetic acid at high levels is harmful. This will never happen when consuming vinegar for drinking and eating in moderation.
Is too much Vinegar Bad for You?
Acetic acid in vinegar is beneficial and natural. Yet, drinking vinegar should be done in moderation. For example, do not dump three tablespoons of ACV into every glass of water. You will not magically shed belly fat or lower your cholesterol.
Although extremely uncommon, undiluted vinegar has caused esophageal damage. Clearly, in this case, the teenage boy ignored the label stating to dilute the drink.
In another case, a 28-year-old woman suffered from severely low potassium levels, stomach problems, osteoporosis, and more. Consequently, she consumed on average an entire cup of ACV a day for about 6 years.
Large amounts of vinegar can also damage teeth because of the acid content.
Avoid tooth erosion with drinking vinegar. Learn how ACV can benefit mouth health.
One medical article claims to take caution in drinking ACV. In their “Safety” section, they state that drinking too much ACV is harmful. This article proves that ACV is safe to drink, but not more than recommended. Medical professionals urge people to limit ACV intake to two tablespoons daily.
Many people claim to “really enjoy the taste of vinegar.” Drinking ACV undiluted is disparaged, such as taking a shot of it. A standard shot glass is 1.5 ounces, equivalent of three tablespoons. Vinegar is diluted acetic acid. It burns and is very bitter. Always dilute ACV with water.
People around the world have been consuming ACV for years without any health issues. Read about one success story of strong immunity from daily ACV water.
Side Effects of Acetic Acid
Consequently, no exact defectiveness of medicine from drinking acetic acid have been found. Evidence is only available on topical acetic acid. One source says it may not interfere with medications taken orally, but to consult your doctor.
However, citric acid has been known to lessen the effectiveness of certain medicines. Cider vinegar contains citric acid. To illustrate, lemon juice is 5-6% citric acid. An extensive search yielded no exact amounts of citric acid in ACV.
Indeed, take caution in drinking vinegar with medication. Every human body is different. A multitude of factors go into the right diet for someone. Age, gender, current state of illness, and/or other conditions/predisposed diseases are all factors. Also, the exact dose of the exact same medicine can produce different reactions or side effects for a variety of people.
The medicines below have all been urged not to be taken with vinegar.
- Lanoxin (treats heart failure)
- Insulin and other diabetic medicine
- Diuretics (water pills for weight loss)—Read about ACV for weight loss.
- Stimulant medicines (should not be taken with high amounts of citric acid)
In particular, mixing ACV with certain drugs may create low potassium levels. One serving (one tablespoon) has 11-15 mg (0% DV) of potassium. Find what your daily potassium intake should be.
To be safe, always consult your doctor first. Likewise, wait an hour before and after taking medicine to ingest acetic or citric acid. Read one personal experimentation of drinking ACV water with Adderall and Ritalin here.
The Mother of Vinegar
Most people cannot afford to buy only organic or organic anything. Therefore, if you’re unsure about drinking mother-infused ACV or you don’t want to spend the money, no one is shaming you. Just remember though, pasteurized ACV does not hold the same level or strength of nutrition. Unpasteurized ACV keeps the mother intact.
Digesting fermented (cultured) substances such as mother vinegar can do wonders for your gut and entire inner system. As a result, you are essentially drinking organisms that help your body fight off viruses and infection. Most certainly, your body needs that good gunk.
In particular, raw vinegar has preserved food and healed for thousands of years. As an unrefined substance, it is completely pure. Indeed, the vinegar mother is the mother of all mothers, even your mother, and my mother. Yes, come to terms with it. You need its magical powers.
| Learn the easiest way to benefit from the mother of vinegar by drinking Dirty Water, nature’s medicine. |
Live life dirty. Your insides and outsides will thank you.
