<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I asked a collegue of mine who is also a celiac to pull up some info on
vinegars. She is an Industrail Hygenist who specialty is safety in the Arts,
ie.. Theatre, Film, etc. I am a Theatrical lighting designer and the
entertainment industry can be dangerous workplace environment and uses many
toxic substances in the contruction and painting of scenery.

Here is what she sent me:

 I have not investigated vinegar in any depth, but according to Hawley's
chemical Dictionary,

"Derivation: (a) Bacterial fermentation of apple cider, wine, or other fruit
juice.  (b) Fermentation of malt or barley.  The fermenting agent is usually
a mold, e.g., Mycoderma aceti, generally known as "mother."  Either type can
be distilled to remove color and other impurities and is then called white
vinegar."

So theoretically any grain could be used, but not wood which won't ferment
like that.

The FDA only specifies "acetic acid" and does not specify the source of the
acetic acid, only its purity.  And regardless of origin it can be allowed in
baked goods, catsup, cheese, chewing gum, condiments, dairy products, fats
and rendered fats, gravies, mayonnaise, meat products, oils, pickles,
relishes, salad dressings, and sauces.  That is very broad.  I can't imagine
how you would avoid any kind of vinegar in any setting in which you were not
purchasing the product and reading the ingredient list.

And since FDA does not specify origin, it could be made from fermenting food
materials other than the traditional ones or by using pure varieties of
acetic acid from other chemical processes.  According to the Chemical
Dictionary, acetic acid is a very high volume chemical in the US used for
many purposes and:

"Derivation: (a) Liquid- and vapor-phase oxidation of petroleum gases (with
catalyst); (b) oxidation of acetaldehyde; (c) reaction of methanol and
carbon monoxide (with catalyst).  This is the most cost-efficient method and
has been in general use for some years; (d) fermentative oxidation of
ethanol."

Method (c) is probably the reason people have incorrectly said that it is
from fermentation of wood.  Wood wont ferment like grains, but methanol is
called "wood alcohol."  This is because it can be made by gasification* of
wood, peat or lignite.  However these processes are not commercial and not
being used at present, so I think you can scratch "wood" from your list of
sources for vinegar.

*(reacting steam with hot wood (~800o C) in the presence of air or oxygen to
form carbon monoxide followed by a methanation reaction (Fischer-Tropsch
method).

I think if I wanted to avoid any vinegar that could be derived from wheat, I
would only use a wine vinegar or some other vinegar that specifies the
source on the label.  Otherwise the sources of vinegar could be legion.



I share this as I stay away from anything labelled "vinegar" or "distilled
vinegar" I have no problem with cider or balsamic or red wine vinegars.

David in Miami

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