Scientists in the service of good quality beer
If there is one substance that drives beer brewers mad, it is diacetyl, a bi-product that occurs during the brewing process. Even trace elements of diacetyl can make the beer turn rancid and buttery in flavour. This doesn't belong in the beer and has a poor effect on both flavour and sales. This problem is something the Scientists from Halle now want to get to grips with. With a new measuring procedure, the idea is to trace the unwanted substance as early as possible during the brewing process. This is especially important if – as is the case with the Landsberger Brewery – new varieties of beer are being made. Before a new beer comes onto the market, it must initially go through a long development and testing phase. During this time the ingredients and quantities for the beer are altered until the result fulfils the beer brewer’s high quality standards. “A new measuring procedure for this arduous process would be worth its weight in gold, since it saves time and money” explains Matthias Liefheit, a Process Technician at the GMBU. This non-profit research institute was established in 1992. Its head office in Halle has a staff of 15 employees who view their work as constituting a binding link between the worlds of applied basic research and business.
If the GMBU researchers succeed with the project then they will have solved a problem for which neither a time- nor cost-effective solution yet exists anywhere in Germany. It must be remembered, after all, that beer brewing is a science in itself, and everything in the brewing process has to be right so that in the end the beer tastes the way the beer drinker likes it. But this really isn’t easy. The fermentation process is not just a process that is hundreds of years old; it is complex and prone to failure. For instance, during the testing phase for new varieties of beer, unwanted flavourings such as the aforementioned diacetyl can be uncovered. “This has a negative impact on the flavour even in smallest of concentrations,” explains Matthias Leifheit. To ensure the quality, the diacetyl concentration has to be measured in the brewery. This takes several hours, however, and until now, the measuring has also completed after the brewing process has ended. “That’s too late” opines Leifheit. It would be much better to do it during the brewing process so that the master brewer can still intervene.
The project which the researchers have therefore initiated has ambitious goals: together with the Landsberger brewery they want to develop an analysis system which works quickly and effectively and therefore saves time and costs. This will then come into use in the Landsberger Brewery during the creation of new varieties of beer. Financial support is being provided by the Federal Ministry of Business and Technology. The goal of the support is to optimise the quality of the brewing process through standardised procedures. Leifheit: “In this way it is possible to ensure that the brewing process occurs according to the same parameters at all times.”
The GMBU will be working on this project for three years. The first tests are now underway in the laboratories. In addition, a small brewery system has also been installed in the company’s rooms on the Weinberg campus in Halle. It does brew beer, but only in small quantities. The researchers have now succeeded in developing a preliminary measuring system which can be used during the brewing process. The best thing is that it works so quickly, although at the moment, the apparatus still looks a little makeshift. “It is now important to make a genuine measuring device with a casing, and which can be used everywhere”. According to current forecasts, that will take another one and a half years. The Halle based researchers want to build the first models themselves, with a local company specialising in constructing technical devices then assuming responsibility. The initial negotiations are already underway. Company manager Dr. Klaus Krüger is optimistic. “If we succeed, it will mean an improved quality of beer. So our work is definitely worthwhile!”
Author: Ines Godazgar
Contact:
Gesellschaft zur Förderung
von Medizin-, Bio- und Umwelttechnologien e.V.
Dr. Eng. Klaus Krüger
Erich-Neuß-Weg 5
06120 Halle
Email: krueger.ignore@gmbu.de
Web:www.gmbu.de