A diffuser extracts the sugars from shredded, sugar-bearing plant matter by circulating and recirculating hot water through it as it moves along a conveyor belt. This type of hydrolysis technology is traditionally used to extract high-sugar-concentration juice in the cane ethanol industry, but has been increasingly adopted by high-volume tequila makers in place of tahonas or presses. While its use is controversial because aficionados sometimes declare tequilas made with diffusers inferior products, diffusers appeared in the tequila industry in 1999–2003 in response to a real production problem: an agave shortage in the late 1990s. A diffuser allows distillers to extract more fermentable sugars from agave hearts than traditional methods allow. The raw or cooked agave is relieved of up to 99 percent of the agave sugars. When raw agave is used, the resulting fluid is transferred to an autoclave for cooking prior to fermentation. The diffuser can also be redesigned to use acid catalyst hydrolysis for saccharification, thereby eliminating the need of post-diffuser cooking. See cooking. The further producers go from traditional methods, needless to say, the more controversial the use of a diffuser is.
See also agave; Sauza; and tequila.
Maxwell, Khrys. “There May Be Too Much Agave in Your Tequila or Mezcal.” MuchoAgave.com. http://www.muchoagave.com/the-difusor---there-may-be-too-much-agave-in-your-tequila-or-mezcal.html (accessed March 2, 2021).
By: Misty Kalkofen