HOOCH

1. Context

Over 30 people have died in a hooch tragedy in the Saran district of Bihar, where alcohol is prohibited. The incident has created a political furore, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar drawing charges of insensitivity over his reaction to the tragedy.

2. About Hooch

Hooch is a commonly used term for poor-quality alcohol, derived from Hoochinoo, a native Alaskan tribe that was known to produce very strong liquor. Unlike branded liquor which is produced in factories with sophisticated equipment and rigorous quality control, hooch is made in more crude settings without any quality checks.

3. Alcohol

Alcohol is produced using two basic processes: fermentation and distillation. When heated, yeast reacts with sugar (from grain, fruits, sugarcane, etc.) to ferment and produce a mixture containing alcohol. However, as this process continues and the alcohol levels rise (with more of the sugar getting converted to alcohol), the conditions become toxic for the yeast itself, eventually ending the process of fermentation. Thus, to make anything stronger than beer or wine (above 14-18% ABV or alcohol by volume), distillation is key.

3.1.Distillation

Distillation is the process of physically separating the alcohol from the rest of the mixture using evaporation and condensation. Since different parts of the mixture have different boiling points, theoretically, if one heats the mixture to the correct temperature, it will be possible to separate only the alcohol from the water and other remnants. This will be far more potent than any fermented beverage. All spirits (such as whiskey, vodka, gin, etc) are made using this technique

4. Hooch production

Hooch-makers also use this principle. First, they heat water, locally available yeast, and sugar or fruit (often fruit waste) to produce a fermented mixture in a large pot. Once sufficient fermentation has occurred, they distil this fermented mixture to produce concentrated alcohol using a rudimentary setup. Often, this setup includes a big vat where the fermented mixture is boiled, a pipe that captures and carries the alcoholic fumes, and another pot wrapped in a wet cloth (to make it cooler), where concentrated alcohol condenses. Distillation can be done repeatedly to increase the alcohol content of the final product.

5.Lethal Contents

• Ethanol

The fermented mixture to be distilled contains more than consumable alcohol (ethanol).

• Methanol

 It also contains methanol, a different form of alcohol that is highly toxic for human beings. Methanol is generally used for industrial purposes. While non-distilled alcoholic beverages like wine contain relatively harmless trace amounts of methanol, both ethanol and methanol are concentrated during the distillation. Thus, if done wrong, the end product can have a high concentration of methanol instead of ethanol and thus be poisonous.

6.Temperature control

Methanol has a boiling point of 64.7 °C whereas ethanol has a boiling point of 78.37 °C. This means that during distillation, when the mixture reaches 64.7 °C, the pot collecting concentrated alcohol begins to fill up with a highly toxic chemical.

This must be discarded for the end product to be safe. Further, it is crucial to maintain a temperature of above 78.37 °C but below 100°C (the boiling point of water) to obtain safe-to-consume yet potent liquor.

Commercial distillers have sophisticated equipment and multiple checks to maintain the accuracy of the process. However, hooch-makers have no temperature control.

7.Adulteration

Often, various adulterants are added to increase the potency of the liquor. Given the issues with conducting distillation without proper equipment, frequently, the end product may be safe but at the same time watered down (basically, when the mixture is over-boiled).

To compensate for this, adulterants are added. Some of the known ones include organic waste, battery acid, and industry-grade methanol, all of which are highly toxic. Adding the wrong kinds of adulterants in the wrong quantities increases the risks associated with hooch

7.1.Adulteration Risk

Effects such as blackouts, and memory loss.

In extreme cases, when adulterants like methanol are present in high concentrations, the liquor is unfit to consume and can be deadly.

8.Effects Of Spurious Liquor

Methanol or methyl alcohol can cause impaired vision, high toxicity, and metabolic acidosis. The body produces excess acid that cannot be flushed out by the kidneys.

9.Treatments

The treatment for this is to intravenously administer Fomepizole and ethanol. However, fomepizole can be expensive and unavailable in many parts of India. In such cases, doctors administer a mixture of ethanol and water (1:1 ratio). Ethanol inhibits methanol’s conversion into toxins and helps in flushing it out of the body either naturally or through dialysis.