Developing an automated system for ongoing micro-adjustments during the fermentation stage of the honey distillation process.

北岛学院的工业自动化项目已与当地一家酿酒厂合作，研究和开发一种解决方案，使其能够对发酵过程进行微调。NIC的电子和工业自动化教师科里·巴奇也是一名红印电工和工业仪器机械师，他将与科莫克斯山谷的任性酿酒厂合作，建立和开发一种连续和自动化的发酵测试和微调方法，以取代目前的日常测试和调整系统。微调将使发酵的pH平衡尖峰降至最低，提供最佳的生长环境，极大地改善酵母的整体健康，产生更少的不良风味酒精，并显著提高总发酵效率。一名工业自动化专业的学生将被聘为该项目的研究助理，通过与一家不断成长和充满活力的当地公司直接参与一个创新项目，扩大他们的课堂学习。任性是加拿大第一家将蜂蜜发酵并蒸馏成烈酒的酿酒厂。作为该领域的先驱，任性酒使蜂蜜烈酒的概念正常化，并对国家酒精法规的现代化起到了至关重要的作用。这一创新研究项目由加拿大自然科学和工程研究理事会(NSERC)的Engage赠款资助，将有助于任性地增加它们的产量。反过来，这种增长将增加对高质量当地蜂蜜的需求，并有助于增加蜜蜂数量，从而为不列颠哥伦比亚省的农作物授粉和建立一个健康的生态系统。

North Island College's Industrial Automation program has partnered with a local distillery to research and develop a solution to enable micro-adjustments to their ferment process. NIC's electronics and industrial automation instructor Cory Batch, who also is a dual Red Seal journeyman electrician and industrial instrument mechanic, will work with Comox Valley's Wayward Distillery in order to build and develop a method of continuous and automated ferment testing and micro-adjusting to replace the current system of daily testing and adjustments. Micro-adjustments would minimize spikes in the pH balance of the ferment, provide an optimum growth environment, greatly improve overall yeast health, produce fewer undesirably flavoured alcohols and significantly improve total ferment efficiency. An Industrial Automation student will be hired to work on this project as a research assistant, amplifying their classroom learning by working directly on an innovation project with a growing and dynamic local company. Wayward was the first distillery in Canada to ferment and distill honey into spirits. As a pioneer in their field, Wayward has normalized the concept of honey spirts and has been fundamental in modernizing national alcohol regulations. This innovative research project, funded by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant, will help Wayward to grow their production. In turn, this growth will increase demand for high quality local honey and will contribute to increased bee populations, resulting in pollination of BC agriculture crops and a healthy ecosystem.