Brauerei Forum - International Edition May 2015 by Brauerei Forum

Brauerei Forum

Technical Periodical for Breweries, Malt Houses, the Beverage Industry and Partners

Inter natio nal E dit

 A visit to VLB‘s Testing Laboratory for Packaging  News from Research & Development  VLB Course Offerings 2015/2016  VLB Berlin at the Craft Brewers Conference 2015

ion I/ 2015

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No 5 – International VLB Edition I/2015 | 22 May 2015 | ISSN 0179-2466

Published by Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin

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Content

 VLB Berlin Inside 4

VLB Berlin welcomes its new international members

The new VLB training centre keeps on growing

VLB awards badge of honour in gold in Dresden

8 As a service provider for the brewing and beverage industries the Testing Laboratory for Packaging of VLB Berlin has a lot of tasks. One of them is to check, whether bottles fullfill all the agreed specifications. How this works shows a standard examination of glass bottles

 Research & Development 8

A visit to VLB’s Testing Laboratory for Packaging

The fine art of analysis / Nils Rettberg new Head of VLB Research Institute

New fermentation strategy for glutathione production in Saccharomyces spp.

Improving laboratory automatisation: Development of a method for sample preparation

20 22

Jana H. Gierds awarded a prize for the best poster / VLB pilot brewery receives new Innokeg KegBoy

 Training & Events 23

VLB Conventions 2015 in Thailand and Brazil

VLB Course Offerings

Thoughts on the risk level of filling carbonated soft drinks (CSD) on beer filling lines

Quality assurance and food safety has received greater importance in the food and beverage industry. Therefore a high standard for methods, measurement, and knowledge in laboratories is needed

First VLB Seminar in Minsk / VLB Symposium in Moscow accompanies new international trade fair Beviale Moscow

3rd European Microbrew Symposium in Nuremberg

VLB Berlin at the Craft Brewers Conference 2015 in Portland, USA

 Misc 30

Imprint / VLB institutes and departments – contacts

Check your expert knowledge!

VLB international events 2015/2016

 editor@brauerei-forum.de  www.brauerei-forum.de Cover: Work at Testing Laboratory of VLB Berlin (see page 8) Photo: Dieter Prokein

Companies which use the same filling equipment for beer and carbonated soft drinks have a higher risk for primary and secondary contaminations. To avoid this the hygienic level of the constructions should be always very high

28 More than 11 500 brewing professionals and exhibitors gathered in Portland, Oregon, USA, at the Craft Brewers Conference from April 14-17, 2015. Alongside this year’s conference the VLB hosted its 3rd international gathering of VLB/TUB brewing alumni

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

VLB inside  Names

VLB Berlin welcomes its new international members Kals Breweries – India The company is a closely held family business enterprise in the distillery bottling business of India. The group is headed by a pioneering industrialist S. Vasudevan who is also the Chairman and Managing Director of the company. (BF) The company have produced Foreign Liquor since 2009 under the name of Kals Distilleries Private Limited. Their

origins were in the Union Territory of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry) and were in the retailing business for wines and spirits for 30 years. The family business also encompassed the distribution of fast moving consumer goods (Unilever, Johnson & Johnson) in Karaikal. It was the vision of the Chairman to enter the manufacturing of wines and spirits and the family succeeded in obtaining an approval and

Handing over the certificate of membership at the Kals Brewery in Trichy, India. Mr. Jayaprakash, Mr. Ravichandran, Mick Holewa, VLB Berlin, Jan Biering, VLB Berlin, Mr. Nadessan, Mr. Vasudevan and Mr. Indukumar (from left to right)

Victory Brewing Company – USA The brewery is located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in the northeast of the USA, just west of Philadelphia. (F.) Victory Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by two friends, Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski and supported by 33 investors. The headquarters and original brewery (60 hl) are based in Downingtown. There is a larger brewery (200 hl) in Parkesburg, Pennsylva-

nia. The portfolio covers Craft Ales and Lagers. Top selling brands are Golden Monkey Belgian Tripel, HopDevil IPA, DirtWolf Double IPA and Prima Pils. Increasing demand In 2014 the sales came to 147,000 hl and the projected sales for 2015 are 175,000 hl. Meanwhile three restaurants belong to the Victory Brewing Company: the original restaurant at-

Handing over the certificate of membership to Victory Bewing Company at Spring Conference 2015 in Dresden: Dr. Josef Fontaine, Managing Director of VLB, Ron Barchet, Brewmaster and CEO Victory Brewing, and VLB President Dr. Mike Eberle

Newlands Systems – Canada The company is a division of Accent Stainless Steel Inc. and is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, about 70 km away from Vancouver. (F.) Since 1990, Newlands Systems has distinguished itself as the premiere North American brewing equipment manufacturer. The company designs breweries from the brew master‘s per-

spective and boasts a long history with every brew system. It has the brewing experience, engineering and technical background and skilled craftsmanship to build custom stainless steel breweries. Through the use of advanced technologies in design, engineering and fabrication, Newlands manufactures highly innovative products. All of Newlands equipment is constructed in North America.

Handing over the certificate of membership to Newlands Systems at Spring Conference 2015 in Dresden: Dr. Josef Fontaine, Managing Director of VLB, Christian Riemerschmid von der Heide, COO Newlands Systems, and VLB President Dr. Mike Eberle

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

VLB inside

license for the bottling business in 2008 and started commercial production in October 2009. New brewery in 2012 In order to be part of the growing consumption of the beer business and also to be a full spectrum alcoholic beverage company in the southern state of Tamil Nadu Kals got approval to set up a brewery in 2011. The commercial production of beer started in March 2012. The capacity of the new plant amounts to about 430,000 hl.

tached to Downingtown brewery, a brewpub (weekly 9 hl) in Kennett Square and Parkesburg restaurant opened April 2015. Victory Brewing Company opened its doors to the public on Feb. 15, 1996. What was once a Pepperidge Farm factory became home to a 144-seat restaurant, 70-foot-long bar and a full-scale brewery. Since then, Victory has increased the size of the restaurant to 300 seats. As loyal craft beer drinkers continue to show their dedication to flavourful, quality beer, Victory plans to continue its own growth. www.victorybeer.com

Christian Riemerschmid von der Heide new Chief Operating Officer Christian has returned to Canada in 2014 after nearly a decade with the world’s leading premium drinks company, DIAGEO. He joined Newlands Systems in July 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and ESVP Sales and Marketing. Leveraging his 30 years in the global alcohol sector to set new impulses from concept to commercialization for North Americas leading craft brewing, distilling and malting equipment provider. www.nsibrew.com

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

VLB inside

The new VLB training centre keeps on growing The project “Construction of a new VLB training centre” has made visible progress. After several delays the shell construction work began in June 2014 and was finished on schedule in February 2015. Meanwhile the interior construction is progressing. According to the current plan, the training centre should be ready by mid 2016. (oh) After about 8 months, the shell of the new education and training centre of the VLB Berlin was completed on schedule in February this year. Subsequently the interior construction work started in March. ”After we were faced with lots of difficulties during the planning and approval process, we now have passed a significant milestone in this flagship project“, says VLB Managing Director Dr. Josef Fontaine delightedly. The construction works started in July 2014. Foundations and basement were completed in September 2014. Thanks to a mild winter this year, the construction work continued quickly until January 2015 to the 4th upper floor. The building inspection was carried out successfully on 24 February. In mid-March the interior finishing began. Currently the drywall installation, the mounting of the windows and lots of other work are being carried out.

If the work continues within the current schedule, the completion of the building is expected for mid-2016. On six floors the new ”VLB“ will have upto-date laboratories, numerous seminar rooms in different sizes, offices as well as a new pilot brewery and a pilot malting plant. As part of the joint task ”Improvement of regional infrastructure“ the VLB Berlin received 2009 a funding commitment for the ”expansion of the VLB education and training centre Seestrasse 13“. The total volume of this measure amounts to approximately € 29.4 million. The funds will be allocated from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the joint task ”Improvement of regional economic structure“ (GRW) supplemented with own resources of the VLB Berlin.

Photos: oh

Top: View inside the atrium of the building Below: View of the face of the new VLB training centre in May 2015

After 25 years as Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB), Dr. Axel Th. Simon (71) vacated his honorary post at the Annual General Meeting on the 29th September 2014. We spoke to him about his time as President of the VLB, about his appraisal of the current situation at the institute and about the challenges to come in the future years.

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

VLB inside

VLB awards badge of honour in gold in Dresden In mid-March, Wolfgang Kun ze and Prof. Dr. Gerolf Annemüller were invested with the new badge of honour of the VLB Berlin for their life-time achievement. The award was presented by VLB president Dr. Mike Eberle in the context of the 102nd VLB Brewing and Engineering Conference in Dresden. (BF) “As recognition of your achievements and efforts, we would like to invest you with the badge of honour, today. It is a manifestation of the exceptional appreciation the VLB is giving to you,” said VLB president Dr. Mike Eberle in his speech at the welcome dinner in Ballhaus Watzke, Dresden.

Reviving a tradition The honourees were visibly moved and delighted at this special distinction. The VLB badge of honour in gold resumes the tradition of the VLB coin and the Max Delbrück commemorative coin to continue it in a modern form.

Look to future success with beer You’ve got what it takes

Contribution to education and internationalisation Eberle in particular acknowledged Kunze’s and Annemüller’s books on brewing technology. They made an inestimable contribution to support the qualification and further education of a whole branch. At the same time, the books spread the name of VLB Berlin, where they are published, worldwide. This had assisted the VLB greatly with its internationalization.

Their books have given advice to generations of brewers worldwide for decades: Wolfgang Kunze (2nd from left) and Gerolf Annemüller (2nd from right) with the new VLB badge of honour on the collar. VLB president Mike Eberle on the left, VLB managing director Josef Fontaine

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engineering for a better world Photo: oh

Brauerei Forum 1– GEA_BS_Image_92x240mm_engl_RZ.indd

VLB International May 2015

20.04.15 15:01

Research & Development  Packaging

A visit to VLB’s Testing Laboratory for Packaging The Testing Laboratory for Packaging (VP) of the VLB Berlin is well known throughout the world as a service provider for the brewing and beverage industries. Its principal task is the examination of essential packaging and packaging aids for beverages. Inspections are made to check whether contractual specifications have been met. In addition, individual advice is given to companies to help solve their specific problems and special investigations, such as stress tests, are carried out. The Testing Laboratory for Packaging is also engaged in the development and improvement of the test methods. The following article illustrates the procedure for a standard examination of glass bottles.

Fig. 1: Early morning meeting: Ingrid Weber (r.) clarifies with Grazyna Gutscha, Vanessa Milde, Oleg Schander and Susan Dobrick (left to right), which specifications have to be examined on the NRW-bottles Fig. 2: The bottles are unpacked checked with regards to their labelling Fig. 3: Visual inspection – Flaws on the bottle are marked

(iw/dp) At 8.30 in the morning at the VLB Berlin: Four members of staff have gathered together in the Testing Laboratory for the early morning meeting. This is a daily routine in the office of Ingrid Weber in order to assign the various upcoming tasks to the individual colleagues. Beforehand, the laboratory head has discussed the assignments with her colleagues, has pointed out any peculiar features and specified the analytical procedures. These cover the whole spectrum of packaging and packaging aids for beverages. Alongside glass and PET bottles, cans and crates, the VP also examines crown corks and other caps and closures as well as labels, trays and secondary packaging. „We are the contact partner both for routine tests as well as for problem cases“, explained Ingrid Weber, a graduate engineer in fermentation technology. „Anyone needing help in the field of packaging and packaging aids can turn to us for support“. The many enquiries from all over the world testify to the urgent need for our services. Five to ten times a day, bever-

age experts contact us for advice e.g. when the labels are not correctly positioned or the bottle breakage is too high. As far as possible such requests are dealt with immediately. Often, however, special investigations in the VP laboratory are unavoidable. This is especially the case when the cause of a fault is not immediately apparent. The problem must then be analysed so that the causes can be clearly identified in a series of trials. A demanding task, says Ingrid Weber, but one that is suited to solve the problem. Controlled bottle pool However, only standard tests are on the schedule for today. The so-called NRW bottles are to be tested. The name originates from North RhineWestphalia, one of the German Federal States. This type of 0.5 litre returnable glass bottle was first introduced there in 1988. In the meantime it is distributed throughout Germany. The NRW bottle is the standard bottle for the German brewing industry and forms the basis for the bottle pool from which most of the German breweries

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

are supplied. Since these bottles are always of the same type they can be refilled by all members of the bottle pool after removal of the previous labelling. This is a major simplification for the logistics. In contrast, individual empty bottles, e.g. with relief embossing or in different colours, have to be returned to their original breweries involving high transport costs. Extensive tests are necessary to ensure that the quality of new NRW bottles satisfy the requirements for the bottle pool. The VP tests according to the Special Technical Terms of Delivery and Supply (STLB). The random sample contains 125 bott les which are selected independently by a neutral sampler. The order for this inspection comes from the German Brewer‘s Association which appointed the VP as its contract laboratory back in 1971. A precondition for the testing is that the NRW bottles are manufactured in a glassworks licensed by the German Brewer‘s Association. Laboratory work The bottles were delivered on the previous day – well packaged in quan-

Research & Development

nowadays during the production, it is seldom that defective examples end up in circulation. Modern camera technology is employed for the control. Usually, therefore, only so-called blemishes are found which have no influence on the overall quality. Body diameter and ovality Dimensional tolerance controls are carried out on 50 of the visually examined bottles. This is essential for the quality of the bottles. They must be manufactured within narrow tolerance limits in order to avoid disruptions during the filling process. This applies in particular in view of the multitude of mechanical stresses which the bottles are subjected to. Besides the actual filling process, these include the transport on the conveyor belts as well as the capping and labelling. Inspection criteria are height, body diameter, ovality, verticality and non-parallel-

ism of finish. In addition, the internal diameter of the opening is measured using a special device and then the external diameter using ring gauges. The reference values are specified by the Federal Association of the German Glass Industry in standard sheet A82. All inspection data is fed either via a logger or manually into the MEDEA programme. Weight and volumes After inspecting the bottles‘ dimensions, the next step is to examine whether the weight and the volumes are within the specifications. For this, the brimful volume and the filling volume are determined gravimetrically. As described in the standard, the measurement is made at a filling height of 57 mm. This examination is very important because, in the prepackaging ordinance, the legislators stipulate compulsory controls of the

Fig. 4: The internal dia meter of the bottle opening is measured Fig. 5: Determining the verticality Fig. 6: Measuring the height of the bottle Fig. 7: Measuring the largest body diameter and the ovality Fig. 8: Control measurement

Fotos: dp

tities of 25 – in five large cartons directly from the glassworks. The order is initially logged, i.e. provided with a sample information sheet and given a specific reference number. Furthermore, the cartons are labelled before the order is registered electronically in the computer. This occurs with the help of MEDEA, a programme for the processing of laboratory data. It is customized for the requirements of the VP. The actual work can now start. The 125 bottles are unpacked, placed into crates on a laboratory trolley and taken to the bottle measurement area. The visual examination starts. Each bottle is held in the hand and closely examined. The assessment and evaluation is carried out according to the fault list determined by the STLB. These require that existing faults are assigned an acceptance or rejection value. This data forms the basis for the evaluation of the test. Since bottles are inspected

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Research & Development

Fig. 9: Measuring the volumes and weight Fig. 10: Detailed view Fig. 11: Measuring the hotend coating Fig. 12: The line simulator Fig. 13: Testing the impact strength using the pendulum impact test Fig. 14: Checking for cracks and flaws after …

filling amounts. Deviations from the nominal quantity are only allowed within very narrow limits in order to protect the consumer from underfilled bottles. Should they still end up on the market they are liable to incur fines and penalties. Measurement of the hot end coating In the glassworks the bottles are treated whilst they are still hot. The hot-end coating, which is the basis for enhanced adhesion of the cool-end coating, should be sufficiently thick on the body of the bottle. However the bottle finish should remain free since, otherwise, it could promote the tendency of the crown corks to start rusting. Five bottles are examined with special equipment, the AGR hot-end coating measurement system and the AGR finish-coating measurement sys-

tem, to measure these parameters. The bottles should have a maximum of 15 CTU (Coating Thickness Units) at the finish and a minimum of 20 CTU on the body. The line simulator In parallel to the measures described, the bottles are placed in a large caustic bath and heated up to 85 °C. The caustic is a 2 % NaOH solution which, circulated with a pump, acts on the bottles for two hours. Eventually, the caustic removes the cool-end coating and a part of the hot-end coating from the surface of the bottles. These are rinsed and then, after they have cooled down, are placed on a line simulator for one hour. The conditions there are similar to those prevailing on a bottle conveyor belt in breweries and beverage companies. After only one hour, the bottles displayed scuffing rings which

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

normally are only to be expected after years in circulation. The stresses in the line simulator correspond to those experienced by returnable bottles during 25 to 30 circulations in use. The bottles which have been treated in this way are then tested for their internal pressure resistance and for their impact strength. The results are compared to the requirements of the STLB. Durable bottles should display an adequate stability and withstand an internal overpressure of 11 bar and a pendulum impact test of 35 ips. These test procedures were developed in the VP around 30 years ago. Since the methods have proved to be reliable, they are still used today to evaluate the durability of returnable bottles. This test is also used when reliable information is required regarding the stability of mass-reduced bottles. Very often, when such bottles undergo

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the test procedure, there is an impressive demonstration that their internal pressure resistance and impact strength are in a critical range. Thermoshocker Again running parallel to the above inspections, the largest and oldest test equipment in the VP is brought into use: the thermoshocker. Forty bottles are transferred in a basket from a hot water bath at 70 °C to a cold bath at 20 °C. In order to meet the requirements of this thermal shock resistance test, only one bottle may break in the process. A sample is taken from a sawn-off part of a bottle for the colour test. A planar cut platelet is put into a 1 cm quartz cuvette. This is filled with immersion solution in or-

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der to determine the Helmholtz values. This is carried out using a spectrophotometer which, with the help of the software „Prisma“, measures the dominant wavelength, the saturation and the brightness.

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Official inspection report When all the tests are completed, the official inspection report is written. This usually occurs promptly. The raw data from the MEDEA programme form the basis for the report. The results are checked for their plausibility and ambiguous results are discussed with the laboratory assistant. Occasionally, a test has to be repeated. In the report, all the data is statistically evaluated and given as mean value with standard deviation and confidence limits. The results are compared to the reference values and deviations marked. The NRW bottles examined in the VP have all passed the tests. The final document containing the results is eight pages long. It is completed with a VLB seal and the signature of Ingrid Weber, the head of the Testing Laboratory for Packaging.

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…measuring the internal pressure resistance / Fig. 15: Before measuring the colour, the thickness of the coloured platelet is noted / Fig. 16: Preparing the next inspection order

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Research & Development  Analytics

The fine art of analysis The brewing and beverage industries are confronted by ever more complex questions concerning the constituents of their products. In the search for adequate solutions there is an increasing necessity to employ analytical methods which go far beyond the usual standard methods such as e.g. those of the MEBAK, EBC and the ASBC. The VLB Research Institute for Special Analyses (FIS) with its range of analytical equipment and supported by a highly qualified interdisciplinary team of colleagues comes into play especially for the analysis of aroma-active trace constituents present in minute concentrations. (nr) The Research Institute for Special Analyses (FIS) was founded in 2002 under the leadership of the freshly graduated Dr. Leif-Alexander Garbe and located in rooms of the Research Institute for Chemical-Technical Analysis headed by Prof. Dr. Roland Tressl at the VLB. In 2008, on termination of his active service at the Technical University (TU) Berlin, Prof. Tressl was succeeded by Dr. Garbe who was appointed visiting professor at the TU Berlin and head of the TU Department of Bioanalytics whilst also managing the FIS. Since then numerous research projects have been successfully completed, in which the research emphasis of the FIS was on the analysis of flavour components with the help of so-called stable isotope dilution

Photo 1: Chemical synthesis – from concept to isotopic standard

biotechnology and brewing technology are presently working on seven research projects at the FIS. The common focal point for all these projects is the development of innovative analytical methods which should extend the range of analyses and consulting services on offer at the VLB. Dr. Rett berg sees this dynamic development as essential in order to be able to solve

Nils Rettberg new Head of VLB Research Institute The Research Institute for Special Analyses (FIS) of the VLB Berlin is headed by Dr. Nils Rettberg since 1 January 2015. In this function, he succeeds Prof. Dr. Leif Alexander Garbe, who has accepted a position as professor at the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Science last year.

Photos: jr

assay. In January 2014, Leif-Alexander Garbe moved to the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences on his appointment as professor of applied chemistry. He continued to direct the FIS supported by his deputy, Nils Rett berg, who received his PhD from the TU Berlin in summer 2014 for his thesis entitled “Comprehensive analysis of hop secondary metabolites”. Dr Rett berg took over the leadership of the FIS on 1st January 2015. Dr. Rettberg, born 1983, is a trained brewer and maltster. He sees the challenge for the FIS in the enhanced application of modern and high performance analytical methods to directly resolve practice-relevant issues. His young team of colleagues drawn from the fields of chemistry, food chemistry,

(oh) With Dr. Nils Rettberg (31) a young scientist assumed the position as head of the VLB Research Institute for Special Analyses. He made an apprenticeship as Brewer and Maltster at the Binding Brewery in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 2002 to 2005. Then he graduated successfully as Diploma Engineer for biotechnology with focus on brew-

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

ing science at the Technische Universität Berlin. In 2011, Nils Rettberg started as a research associate at the Chair of Bioanalysis at the TUB under direction of Prof. Dr. Leif Alexander Garbe. At the same time, he was involved in many brewery-specific issues and research projects in the area of trace analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry at the VLB Research Institute for Special Analyses. In summer of 2014, he received his PhD (Dr.-Ing.) with his thesis “Comprehensive analysis of hop secondary metabolites” and moved completely to the VLB Berlin. Through his position as visiting lecturer for “Special analysis in the brewery”, he remains closely related to the TU Berlin and contributes to the university education on behalf of the VLB.

Research & Development Photo 2: State-of-the-art technology in the FIS laboratories

the analytical problems and respond to the increasingly complex enquiries from the brewing and beverage industries utilizing the latest research results. Equipment and range of analyses The FIS is equipped with state-of-theart facilities. Numerous chromatographic methods are available which,

Photo: oh

depending on the specific analytical problem, can be combined with various online/offline enrichment techniques as well as with universal or highly selective detectors. The analytical focus at the FIS is on the combination of mass spectrometric methods with stable isotope dilution analysis. The combination of these techniques permits the identification and quantification of desirable and undesirable (trace) constituents in beer and other beverages. In principle, the range of analytical instrumentation covers the following areas: zzIdentification and quantification of flavour compounds and tasterelevant substances using GC-FID, GC-MS, GC-O, GC-MS/MS, LC-UV, LCFluorescence as well as LC-MS/MS zzAnalysis of hop aroma compounds, e.g. terpenes and terpenoids in raw hops, hop products as well as all processing steps in beer production zzAnalysis of free, bound and oxygenated fatty acids in cereals, malt, hops, yeast, malt extracts, beer and their precursors A further, particularly interesting analy sis is the barrier inspection of packaging materials with respect to volatile organic compounds (VOC). This is to be seen as complementary to the analytical services offered by the Testing Laboratory for Packaging (VP). For the barrier inspection, full beverage packages are stored for several days/weeks in an artificial atmosphere of flavour compounds. The subsequent analysis of the contents provides information about the permeation of undesirable substances into the container. With the help of this analytical method, it is possible to examine the individual components of the packaging (e.g. closures) in more detail as well as the container as a whole and thus qualify them for use. Furthermore, it is possible to quantify the substances which migrate into the beverage from the packaging materials. A well-known and highly current example of such a compound is bisphenol-A (BPA) and its derivatives present in the internal coatings of cans. The strength and expertise of the FIS lies especially in the flexibility with which the

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above named analysis techniques can be applied to solve unusual problems or meet special customer requirements. The combination of customized preparative methods and chromatography provides the possibility to deal with current questions from the brewing and beverage industries. Focus on Stable Isotope Dilution Analysis The analysis of volatile, reactive substances or those present in trace concentrations in beer, beverages and

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Figure 1: The steps of a stable isotope dilution assay

Research & Development

Photo 3: Analysis nonstop – automated sample preparation and analysis Photo 4: In search of aroma compounds – gas chromatography with olfactometric detection

Photo: nr

the intermediate processing steps is an important component of beer and beverage analysis and thus also an integral part of the work at the FIS. Stable isotope dilution analysis is often applied in foodstuff and residue analyses for such issues. This is a specialized analysis technique which, because of its high degree of accuracy and reliability, is also often employed in medical research and forensic science. The method of Stable Isotope Dilution Assay (SIDA) involves several sequential steps. It can provide answers to questions such as, “How many µg of a particular substance are present in a raw material, intermediate or final product?” or “Which are the critical process steps for the enrichment or loss of desirable compounds?” The individual steps in such an analysis are shown schematically in Figure 1. Photos 1-4 show FIS colleagues at work.

From the question to the analytical solution What is the path taken by a beverage sample at the FIS until the analysis report is written? If the customer’s request is clearly defined, e.g. “How many µg of linalool are present in a pilsner beer from batch 42/2015 and does this concentration differ from that for batch 28/2015?”, a suitable analytical method is established in the FIS or, as for the question formulated above, refer back to already existing protocols. The first step (a) is then the chemical synthesis of an isotope standard. A compound synthesized for use as an isotopic standard has identical chemical structures to the naturally occurring constituents of the beer (e.g. linalool) and only differs due to the inclusion of isotope markers. These markers are 2H (deuterium)

Figure 2: GC-MS chromatogram of analyte and isotopic standard

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

and 13C. The result is that natural analyte molecules and chemically synthesized standard molecules can be distinguished from one another using a mass spectrometer. However, why is it apparently so desirable that there is a minimal mass difference between analyte and standard? The following applies in the field of analytics, “The more similar analyte and standard are the better it is”. This principle, which will be explained in detail below, is optimally applied in the stable isotope dilution assay in which analyte and standard have almost identical chemical and physical properties. Isotopic standards are thus ideal reference materials for the determination of the concentrations of specific analytes, especially when these are volatile, chemically reactive or only present in minute amounts. The chemical synthesis of isotopic standards is a science in itself and requires a great deal of chemical skill and experience. Depending on the structure of the target substance, the introduction of isotope markers, the purification of the reaction products as well as the testing of their purity can take several days to complete. It is essential, therefore, that isotopic standards do not have to be freshly synthesized for each new request. The FIS has an extensive collection of such substances at its disposal which can be used at short notice for many different requests. But now to the actual analysis itself: As already explained, in most cases the isotopic standards are used as internal standards (b). Thus, in order to approach the above mentioned request (“How many µg of linalool

are present in a pilsner beer from batch 42/2015 […]?”), isotope labelled linalool is added to a beer sample before this is prepared by distillation or extraction for the gas chromatographic analysis. This sample preparation is a crucial step in the analysis. It ensures that the analyte (in this case linalool) is enriched whereas interfering constituents in the beer (e.g. sugar, bitter substances, acids etc.) are separated out. How ever, analyte is also lost during any sample preparation. The best possible way to measure and illustrate this loss is by using (isotopic) standards. It is clear from this why analyte and standard should be as similar as possible – exactly – so that their losses during sample preparation are identical. However, isotope-labelled substances can do even more: a further, admittedly very special application is their use as “tracer molecules” (c). These are used to examine (bio-) chemical reactions during beer production at a molecular level. For the example of linalool, isotope labelled linalool can be added in a pilot trial in order to characterize in detail its reaction products during wort boiling or its behaviour during fermentation. This mode of analysis is unambiguous and very informative since the labelled isotope standard either does not occur in nature or is only found in negligible amounts (<1 %). Chromatography and mass spectrometry at the core of the analysis Back to the original question: How does one determine the concentration of the volatile linalool and the corresponding isotopic standard? After enrichment during the sample preparation, the beer sample (d) is separated into its constituent parts by gas chromatography. The analytical procedure for non-volatile molecules is similar except that liquid chromatography is used for the separation. Both types of chromatography coupled with one-dimensional or multi-dimensional mass spectrometry enable the analysis of trace constituents in complex samples such as beer and other beverages. A prominent feature

of the mass spectrometer is its high sensitivity, i.e. its capacity to be able to establish the presence of minute quantities of a substance. Also, with respect to the stable isotope dilution analysis, it is indispensable since only a mass spectrometer can discriminate between an analyte and its isotopic standard. On the basis of the ratio between the signal intensities of the two molecules and the known amount of standard added to the sample, the concentration of linalool can be determined, e.g. in the beer of batch 42/2015. An example of this is shown in Figure 2. The mass spectra of the analyte and isotopic standard differ only on account of the markers introduced during the chemical synthesis. The concentration of the substances can be calculated from the areas under the peaks of the GC-MS chromatogram. With such a very precise analytical tool - and that is ultimately its purpose - minimal differences between two different batches can be determined. For flavour compounds which have a positive influence (e.g. linalool) or those with a negative influence (e.g. trans-2-nonenal) on the product characteristics, minimal differences in concentration can be of crucial importance. Further analytical questions The stable isotope dilution assay is a very specific application of quantitative analysis. However, with appropriate modifications to the steps outlined in Figure 1, it can be used to solve several different analytical problems. Furthermore, as mentioned before, the FIS provides other high-performance analyses. Do you have questions regarding the aroma composition of your products, their precursors or intermediate products such as essential oils? Are you developing a new product and wish to have it analytically characterized? Are you looking for contaminants present in trace quantities? If yes, then the FIS would be happy to assist you! Contact Dr. Nils Rettberg n.rettberg@vlb-berlin.org Tel. +49 30 450 80-106 www.vlb-berlin.org/fis

Quality tests for beer, wort, beer mixtures and non-alkoholic beverages Our laboratories offer all kinds of analysis for beer and beverages:  Beer analysis

Ingredients, foam, dissolved gases, non-biological stability, gushing, etc.

 Soft drinks / beer mixtures / water / juices Ingredients, alcohol content, caffeine, carbohydrates, sugars, vitamins, isotonie, organic acids, nutrient declaration, ect.

 Organoleptic testing

Sensory evaluation of beer, water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

 Special analysis

Gas chromatography (GC), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography, mass spectrometry linked to GC (TD-GC-MS), HPLC (HPLC-MS-MS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS), atom-absorption-spectrometry(AAS) for trace and residue analysis (e.g. heavy metals, pesticide, mycotoxine, nitrosamine), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), fingerprint analytics (ion pattern, aroma profile, aging compounds), scanning electron microscope

 Microbiological analysis

of beer, wort, water, beverages ect.

 Auxiliaries / hop products

Specifications, ingredients, contaminations et al.

www.vlb-berlin.org/en/services

Our service laboratories are accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC The scope of accreditation is listed in our certificate

VLB Berlin – Seestraße 13 – 13353 Berlin, Germany Phone + 49 30 450 80-233 – Fax +49 30 450 80-288 – labor@vlb-berlin.org Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Research & Development  Biotechnology

New fermentation strategy for glutathione production in Saccharomyces spp. Maximilian Schmacht, Eric Lorenz, Prof. Dr. Ulf Stahl, Dr. Martin Senz VLB Research Institute for Biotechnology and Water – Research Department for Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology

The RI for Special Microbiology develops fermentation strategies in the field of bioprocess technique in batch, fed-batch, repeated fed-batch and pilot scale. On the basis of the ZIM research project “Glutathionhefe” (funding no.: VP2132312 MD0), a high cell density continuous cultivation was offered as a new industrially relevant fermentation strategy for Glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine (GSH) production. Whereas the alternative names for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast, clearly indicate its application, this yeast was also used for the production of biotechnological resources during the last decades. One of them, which is especially relevant for the food industry, is glutathioneenriched yeast. Glutathione – a versatile substance Glutathione (γ-Glutamyl-cysteinylglycine, GSH) is the most abundant non-protein thiol that is found in eukaryotic cells (Bachhawat et al., 2009),

providing a broad range of functions and applications. Inside the cell, it serves e. g. as a detoxifier of reactive oxygen species (ROS), to maintain the redox status of the cell, or as a sulfur storage compound (Meister and Anderson, 1983). Whereas glutathione itself can therefore be applied in the medicine or cosmetic industry, GSH enriched yeast can be used e. g. as a baking modifier having the advantage of no need for declaration (Suas, 2008).

GSH fermentation strategies The method of choice for glutathione production is fermentation of yeasts such as Candida utilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, providing advantages such as the ability to grow fast to high cell densities or cheap growth media (Bachhawat et al., 2009). While most research has been done on fed-batch fermentations, we developed a continuous fermentation process with supplementation of cysteine as the key inducer for GSH production (Alfafara et al., 1992)

Figure 1: Progress of cell dry weight concentration () and intracellular GSH content (•) during high cell density continuous cultivation of Saccharomyces boulardii Sa-07145 (left side) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sa-07346 (right side) in 5 L-bioreactor. Fed-batch phase was carried out with feed medium containing 250 g/L glucose until 38 h of fermentation; afterwards continuous mode with feed medium containing 125 g/L glucose was applied. The arrows indicate the start of the continuous feeding of cysteine (1.1 mmol/L and 2.2 mmol/L in fermentation broth respectively). Different letters indicate significant effects on mean value (Mann-Whitney-Test; α = 0.05)

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

6th Ibero-American VLB Symposium Brewing and Filling Technology 21 to 23 September 2015 Campinas/SP – Brazil Trilingual conference (English and Portuguese/Spanish) Thereby, the continuous supplementation of cysteine led to a significant increase in GSH production accompanied by a slightly decreasing cell dry weight concentration. The continuous fermentation mode provides industrially relevant advantages in saving set-up and set-down Results times of the reactors, whereby a With both strains of Saccharo- continuous yield of GSH-enriched myces, cell dry weight concen- yeast can be assured. trations of around 60 g/L accompanied by an intracellular GSH References content of about 0.5 % were [1] Alfafara, C.G., Kanda, A., Shioi, achieved. During S. boulardii SaT., Shimizu, H., Shioya, S., Suga, 07145 fermentation, glucose and K.-i., 1992. Effect of amino acethanol was accumulated indicatids on glutathione production ing Crabtree effect and therefore by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. being a sign of the fact that this Applied Microbiology and Biostrain was not appropriate under technology 36, 538–540 these conditions. In contrast, S. [2] Bachhawat, A.K., Ganguli, D., cerevisiae Sa-07346 was stable Kaur, J., Kasturia, N., Thakur, A., during all of the applied condiKaur, H., Kumar, A., Yadav, A., tions. Moreover, the intracellular 2009. Glutathione Production content of GSH could have been in Yeast, in: Satyanarayana, T., significantly increased from 0.51 Kunze, G. (Eds.), Yeast Biotech± 0.07 % without cysteine feeding nology: Diversity and Applicato 0.76 ± 0.09 % and 1.22 ± 0.09 % tions. Springer Netherlands, by 1.1 mmol/L and 2.2 mmol/L Dordrecht, pp. 259–280 cysteine, respectively. This was [3] Meister, A., Anderson, M.E., accompanied by a slight decrease 1983. Glutathione. Annual in cell dry weight, which was due Review of Biochemistry 52, to the adaption phase of the cells. 711–760 [4] Suas, M., 2008. Advanced Achievements of the high cell Bread and Pastry. Cengage density continuous cultivation Learning A high cell density continuous cultivation of S. cerevisiae SaContact 07346 was successfully estabDr.-Ing. Martin Senz lished as an alternative to usually martin.senz@vlb-berlin.org used fed-batch fermentations. Phone + 49 (030) 45080-157 in order to permanently obtain GSH enriched cells. In doing so we used Saccharomyces boulardii Sa-07145 as a probiotic strain and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sa-07346 and fermented them in 5 L-lab-scale bioreactors (Biostat® A Plus, Sartorius AG).

Symposium for managers from production, filling and quality assurance of breweries and soft drink producers in the Spanish-speaking world

Monday, 21 September 

Technical visits: Petrópolis (Boituva), Heineken (Araraquara)

Supported by

 Welcome party – Churrasco

Tuesday, 22 September 

Technical conference: Raw materials: Market and quality Sustainability in the brewing industry Packaging and warehouse optimizations



Exhibition



Technical visits: Brasil Kirin (Itú), Ambev (Jaguariúna)

Wednesday, 23 September 

Technical conference: Latest developments in brewing technology Cleaning and Disinfection Yeast and fermentation



Exhibition

Gold sponsors

Silver sponsors

Dr. Martin Senz

Maximilian Schmacht

Eric Lorenz

Bronze sponsors

www.vlb-berlin.org/en/brazil2015 brewmaster@vlb-berlin.org

Research & Development

Improving laboratory automatisation: Development of a new method for sample preparation Susy Büssing and Dr. Diedrich Harms, Central Laboratory of VLB Berlin

Quality assurance and food safety has received greater importance in the food and beverage industry. Since regular measurements are used to guarantee a high quality of products, it is important that there is a high standard for methods, measurements and knowledge in laboratories.

Figure 1: Prototype Steinfurth „LDC“

pounds can be lost if the preparation of each sample is not carried out in the same way or the method which was taken has a bad effectiveness (efficiency factor). Samples should be prepared without losing volatile compounds such as ethanol and with a very high degree of decarbonation. It is problematic that each laboratory uses different methods for preparing samples. Of course, there are several established methods for degassing published by the EBC, the ASBC, MEBAK and others. However, different implementations of these methods in the lab make comparison difficult between laboratories and even intra-lab between employees especially when using methods with a manual component. Of interest for brewers is that little errors in the measurement can influence final results significantly, if the results are the basis of further calculations.

Figure 2: Influences on manual degassing methods

One parameter which may cause problems in analyses is the dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) in carbonated beverages. Not only does dissolved CO2 have a significant influence on the taste of beverages such as beer, water and soft drinks, it also impacts the methods of measurement in laboratories. It is necessary to degas samples carefully, using a method with a high repeatability, without changing or influencing the compounds in samples. Volatile com-

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Problem: Decarbonation of samples The challenge presented by CO2 found in samples results in direct and indirect influences on the samples (or beverages). Dissolved CO2 negatively effects the determination of parameters in quality assurance. Indirect influences are a consequence of the bubbles which result from the pressure difference created when a sample is opened. For example, bubbles can reflect or scatter the transmitting beam of spectroscopic measurements altering the true absorbance values and can result in the incomplete filling of a U-tube densimeter resulting in invalid densities. Directly the dissolved CO2 influences the concentration of other dissolved substances (because of the PMV), density and pH. The partial molar volume (PMV) of a substance A is the volume which plays a part in the total volume of this substance as a component of a mixture of several substances A and B. It depends on the other material B and the mixing ratio and it is not the same volume like the pure substance A [1]. There are a few methods in literature for degassing samples in the preparation of

samples for analyses. Common methods include the use of an ultrasonic bath, manual shaking with filtration, purging with nitrogen or other inert gases and the use of a vacuum chamber. While all these methods work to varying degrees of decarbonation, they all have deficiencies, too. Ultrasonication is an easy handling method for degassing beverage samples. This method achieves low decarbonation levels but good alcohol retention [2]. The plus is the handling of a few samples at the same time which, of course, depends on the size of the ultrasonic bath. Samples degassed with the ultrasonic bath have high alcohol values which means there is not much volatilisation during the degassing, but still high levels of CO2 [5]. Gas purging is a method which removes dissolved CO2 by passing gas with a glass frit through the sample. Usually there is taken nitrogen or helium, helium was found to be superior in minimizing foam [3]. This decarbonisation method takes about 15 minutes per sample. There are different methods using Rotary Shakers such as the Bench-Top Rotary Shaker and the Incubated Rotary Shaker [4][3]. With this method you can treat multiple samples. The Incubated Rotary Shaker is equipped with temperature control. Shaking as a manual procedure to remove CO2 from beverage samples is described in the Analytica-EBC Section 9 for Beer. An aliquot of beer or a beverage sample is shaked and swirled in an Erlenmeyer flask gently and rigorously after the flask was opened a few times. After shaking the sample has to be filtered. It is known as the ASBC method beer-1A [7], also named EBC-method. The VLB method can be seen as a specific method of pouring. Pouring describes a manual shaking method when the sample is poured twenty times (or more) from one beaker to another. After this procedure the foam will be removed by passing through a fluted filter (VLB method) [7]. Hand Shaking methods were extensive-

Research & Development ly tested at the VLB. The degree of decarbonation is significantly influenced by the operator as shown in fig. 2. The reproducibility is not given and this can lead to problems in further tests. Automatically methods can influence the efficiency factor The solution is to implement the use of an automated decarbonisation method, for example with the new automatically membrane-based method. At VLB an automatically controlled method for decarbonation was developed within the scope of a research project which also was supported by the Central Innovation Program (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and conducted in cooperation with Steinfurth Mess-Systeme GmbH and Sabo Elektronik GmbH. The focus was set on beer and beer containing mixed drinks, non-alcoholic beverages and mineral water. The main development of this new unit is a semipermeable membrane, which selectively separates CO2 from the sample without influencing other volatile ingredients such as ethanol. Membranes are defined as semipermeable structures when at least one compound of a fluid or gas liquid goes through this membrane. There is an incoming fluid stream and two outgoing streams. The permeate stream and the retentate stream. The retentate should be free of CO2 after permeate through the membrane, in case of that the CO2 is found in the permeate stream [8]. The semipermeable membrane keeps volatile compounds in samples Membranes are still found in different industrial and medical fields. They are used for medical applications for example for oxygen enrichment in blood. But they are also used in different ways for filtration in the food industry.

The constructed membrane module which was tested at the VLB is described in fig. 4. The membrane module is the major part in the construction Steinfurth “LDC” which is the newest prototype developed in this research project (fig. 1). A big advantage is the selectivity of the membrane. In comparison to other degassing methods the loss of ethanol is much lower with the membrane-based degassing method (fig. 3). Currently, there are further studies at the VLB to optimise the cleaning and to ensure membrane-modules can be used for a long time to save costs. The cleaning of the membrane module now is better than before because of a multi-directional valve. The membrane is stable enough for heat and chemical treatments used in CIP cleanings. Furthermore, there are tests at the VLB in collaboration with Steinfurth Mess-Systeme GmbH to connect it with chemical analysis devices and make measurements more effectively in laboratories. The influences of pressure and volume flow through the membrane were tested and compared to find the best settings for a high level of decarbonation and low level loss of other compounds. Variation in volume flow solve the problems that raised due to the different matrices of samples (for example the content of protein which makes a stable foam and helps to degas with the membrane [6]), so it is possible to degas every kind of sample with the membrane-based degassing tool now. It is able to degas mineral water with a big efficiency factor, too. Mineral water was one of the difficult samples for membrane-based degassing, because, due to its matrix, it does not build a stable foam. The overall efficiency of this membrane was enhanced by the development of a frothing system which mainly prepares protein-free Figure 3: Comparison of results show the lowest residual CO2 in the sample after Nitrogen stripping and after membrane degassing [Castritius,2015]

beverages for the degassing process in the membrane module. This allows a homogenous preparation of all CO2-containing drinks for the later decarbonisation process. Overall a decarbonisation efficiency of up to 99 % for the beverages tested was reached which is much higher than the level reached with conventional methods so far. At the Central Laboratory of the VLB there is the idea for connecting the degassing tool Steinfurth “LDC” to other measurement equipment and analysing systems in laboratories. This could save a lot of time steps in the work flow of laboratories. Cited literature [1] Hugo Patino, The Effect of Carbon Dioxide Partial Molal Volume on Beer Density, 1991 [2] Paul A. Smith, Lydia J. Marinelli, Evaluation of Established Methods of Decarbonating Beer, American Society of Brewing Chemists, 1992 [3] Marc D. Constant, John E. Collier, Alternative Techniques for Beer Decarbonation, 1993 [4] J. Alibrandi et al. Beer Decarbonation by a Rotary Shaker Method, American Society of Brewing Chemists, 1998 [5] Karl J. Siebert, P.Y. Lynn, Comparison of Methods for Degassing Beer for Analysis, American Society of Brewing Chemists, 2007 [6] Felix Spoerhase, Entwicklung eines Membranverfahrens zur selektiven Entcarbonisierung von Proben in der Getränkeanalytik, 2011 [7] Methodensammlung der Mittel europäischen Brautechnischen Analysenkommission (MEBAK), Brautechnische Analysenmethoden Band: Wort, Beer, Beer-based Beverages, 2012 [8] Stefan Castritius et al. Membrane-based sample preparation for carbonated beverages: development and comparability study, European Food Research and Technology, 2015

Permeate

Feed

Dr. Diedrich Harms Head of Central Laboratory harms@vlb-berlin.org Phone +49 (30) 450 80-233 Fax +49 (30) 450 80-288

Susy Büssing Central Laboratory s.buessing@vlb-berlin.org

Figure 4: Principle flow of feed and gas streams

Retentate

Stripping gas

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Research & Development  Filling

Thoughts on the risk level of filling carbonated soft drinks (CSD) on beer filling lines Dr. Roland Pahl, Head of Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Production (FIBGP) of VLB Berlin

In the brewery world it is a quite common thing that breweries are also producing lemonades, sparkling water or any other type of drink that might be referred to as a CSD. Especially if the company is a smaller one it is also quite common that the same filling equipment is used to bottle the different beverage types. This article deals with the risk level that the different requirements in respect to the hygiene level bring about. Normally traditional beer filling lines are on a hygiene level that is not comparable to cold-aseptic or even ultra-clean filling, which are nowadays commonly used if other than alcohol containing products are being filled. The reason is that beer is quite insensitive against microbiological spoilage. The reasons for this are mainly the following: • Beer usually contains alcohol. The alcohol content varies in different products, but, generally speaking, one can say that with rising alcohol content the resistance against microbiological spoilage improves. • The pH-level of beer is considerably low, appr. 4. • Hops are contained in most beers and the bitter acids of hops are known to act bacteriostatic. • For quality reasons beer is bottled with very little oxygen uptake. Even if oxygen is taken up, it is absorbed very fast by oxidation processes in beer. Therefore there is literally no oxygen present. In addition to that beer contains a CO2 content of appr. 5 g/l. • Another very important factor is that common beers are pro-

duced by yeast fermentation. That means that the production yeast consumes all the carbohydrates that are fermentable during beer production. In the finished beer therefore no or almost no carbohydrates are present which could be used as substrate by the vast majority of spoilage yeasts (if final attenuation is reached during fermentation). For these reasons there are only few micro-organisms that are able to spoil beer at all. Juice drinks and CSDs are much more vulnerable to microbiological spoilage since they do not combine all those stability enhancing factors, although they often hold one or some of the above listed parameters. That is why literature shows a lot of examples where yeasts have been identified as responsible for the spoilage of carbonated soft drinks [1;2]. Yeasts are often able to tolerate low pH-values, dissolved CO2, hop compounds and alcohol as long as they find carbohydrates to ferment. The presence of oxygen is not necessary for fermentation. Growth of yeasts has even been reported up to pH-values of around 2 [2]. The alcohol tolerance of yeasts can go up to appr. 20 %. Bacteria have also been found in carbonated soft drinks, but in general bacterial contaminations are quite seldom found. Especially pathogenic bacteria prefer substrates with significantly

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

higher pH-values [3]. But yeasts are for another reason the most dangerous spoilage organisms for sugar containing beverages: by fermenting the carbohydrates yeast will form CO2, which leads to increasing internal pressure within beverage containers. In the worst case this can lead to deformation of the containers until ultimately the container explodes. Contaminants are able to infect the bottled beverage in two different ways: 1. They can be contained within the beverage itself (primary infection) 2. They can be brought into the container during the process of packaging (secondary infection). Primary contamination To eliminate the first (primary) way of contamination the product should be pasteurized. The intensity of pasteurisation depends strongly on the type of drink that is handled. Juice containing drinks are e.g. often meant to be advertised as healthy and vitamin containing. In this case the possible damaging of those vitamins by high temperatures needs to be observed. On the other hand high temperatures are needed for an effective pasteurisation to inactivate spores, a very resistant form of microbiological life, formed by some micro-organisms. Also pulp in the bev-

Research & Development erage must be taken into account (if present), making an effective pasteurisation even more difficult. Blending can be another problem if the final product consists of syrup blended with water which is not pasteurised before filling. This represents a hazard to the final beverage since water can contain quite a few vital micro-organisms. Therefore, to increase the microbiological safety of the product, not only the syrup but also the blended product should be pasteurized before filling. Secondary contamination The second way of contamination (secondary) withholds an even higher microbiological risk for the beverage and there are numerous ways on which the micro-organisms may reach into the beverage container: • It is known that air can hold many micro-organisms. In soft drink filling halls the number of yeasts (in colony forming units) can reach up to more than 1000 cfu per m³ [4]. Therefore the quality of air in a filling plant for a sensitive product should be controlled. Possible measures to take could be air filtration or installation of facilities to ionise air. • Especially for soft drinks filling breweries there is a risk that the companies’ own brewing yeast can act as a spoilage organism for the soft drink [5;6]. It is therefore immensely important to make sure that no yeast from a recently filled batch of beer reaches the soft drink filling. Measures to take are e.g. the use of high security filters after beer main filtration, flash pasteurization of the beer prior to filling, thorough CIP cleaning of pipelines and filling valves including heat treatment. • Very potent sources of contamination for any filled beverage are bio films building up in the filling and closing area. Biofilms should not be tolerated in any case. Especially before filling CSD on a beer filler, a very intense cleaning must be carried out. The hygienic conditions prior to filling must match the product. So after cleaning the surfaces in the filling line it is worthwhile to have a disinfection step in the filler area. Since many disinfectants are substances that carry out an unspecific oxidation it is necessary to make sure there is no residual beverage on the surfaces when using the disinfectant. • It is proven that the packaging materials used (bottles and closures) can be a source of contamination for the beverage [7;8]. The risk of filling

DMDC / potassium sorbate

Torulopsis krusei

Mixed moulds

Penicilium citrinum

Acetobacter pasteurianus

0/0

–

100 / 0

–

(+)

250 / 0

–

0 / 100

–

0 / 200

–

175 / 200

250 / 200

Table 1: Recommended concentration of DMDC and potassium sorbate if combined

–: not effective, +: little effectiveness ++: good effectiveness [9] a biological sensitive product can be minimized if closures and bottles are disinfected. Methods of choice might be rinsing or deep baths with disinfectant. In case of filling PET bottles the blow moulding process alone can not guarantee that bottles are free of micro-organisms. Concerning the beverage itself it can be said that contained CO2 and a low pH-value are good in respect to biological stability but cannot alone be relied on. Still the product might contain substrate which can be metabolized by yeasts. It is reported though that a high CO2 content (>5 g/l) in combination with a total oxygen content after filling as low as possible (<1 mg/l) helps improving the stability against spoilage by yeasts extensively [6]. To improve the oxygen content it might be worthwhile to consider the installation of a nitrogen dosage unit. To provoke overfoaming by HPI just like done during beer filling might not work with the regarded CSD. Of course the biological stability of CSDs can be improved if stabilizing agents are used. This represents a well established practice in the CSD industry and is widely accepted as safe. Those chemicals, also often referred to as preservatives, are working highly effective if used in combinations. Often short term stabilizing agents such as DMDC are used together with chemicals that are able to uphold their stabilizing properties for a long time such as benzoates or sorbates. If those are used, it is of importance, that the concentrations are adjusted to one another to guarantee both effectiveness and economical balance. Examples of needed concentrations are given in the table 1. It is important to know, that if the preservatives are not combined, the needed concentrations for an effective stabilisation may increase largely.

Summary Filling CSD on a beer filling line is not without residual risk. The main reason for this is that beer filling lines (especially older ones) are not designed to serve the high requirements of biological instable beverages. In the article a few indications are given to increase the level of security for the soft drink filling on a beer line: flash pasteurisation of finished product prior to filling, increased hygiene level of filling equipment, packaging material and surroundings, use of preservatives. Cited literature [1] Back, W. and Anthes, S.: Taxonomische Untersuchungen an limonadenschädlichen Hefen. Brauwissenschaft, 32, Heft 6, 1979 [2] Sand, F.: Zur Hefe-Flora von Er frischungsgetränken. Brauwelt 110, Nr. 15, 1970 [3] Sand, F.: Zur Bakterien-Flora von Erfrischungsgetränken. Brauwelt 111, Nr. 15, 1971 [4] Henriksson, E, and Haikara, A.: Airborne microorganisms in the brewery filling area and their effect on microbiological stability of beer. Monatsschrift für Brauwissenschaft, Heft 1, 1991 [5] Dachs, E.: Brauereihefen als Limonadenschädlinge. Brauwelt 111, Nr. 15, 1971 [6] Soberka, R.: Causes desinfections dans la fabrication de la bière et boissons gazèifiès: Petit Journ. Brass, 89, 1977 [7] Pahl, R.: Biologische Vorbelastung von Getränkeverpackungen. Speech at VLB Fachtagung Getränkeverpackung, Dresden, 2008 [8] Hennlich, W.: Richtwerte für Lebensmittelverpackungen. Ver packungsrundschau, 12, 2004 [9] Informationsblatt „Velcorin® - Kalt entkeimung alkoholfreier Erfri schungsgetränke“, Bayer AG

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Dr. Roland Pahl Head of FIBGP pahl@vlb-berlin.org Phone +49 (30) 450 80-238 Fax +49 (30) 453 60 69

Research & Development  News 4th International Young Scientists Symposium on Malting, Brewing and Distilling

Jana H. Gierds awarded a prize for the best poster At the end of October 2014, Jana H. Gierds from the VLB Berlin was awarded a prize for the best poster presentation at the 4th International Young Scientists Symposium on Malting, Brewing and Distilling in Ghent, Belgium. Her poster described the Identification of Brewer‘s Strains using MALDI-TOF-MS. (BF) The event took place at the KU Leuven Technology Campus in Ghent and was attended by around 120 beverage experts and scientists coming

mainly from Europe. They experienced a top-class lecture programme. Travelling from the VLB Berlin were Henrike Vorwerk, Ruslan Hofmann, Johannes Fuchs and Jana H. Gierds. The latter was awarded a prize for the best poster presentation. The prize entitles the winner to attend a further scientific congress free of charge. Jan H. Gierds is a graduate in food chemistry and is employed in the VLB‘s Central Laboratory. She has responsibility for research focussed on the MALDI-TOF MS. She is recognized as an expert in this field.

Young scientists at the Symposium in Ghent: Jakob Frenzel (TU Berlin), Philip Wietstock, 3rd prize for his poster (TU Berlin), Kord Dependau (TU Berlin), Johannes Fuchs (VLB Berlin), Jana H. Gierds (VLB Berlin), Ruslan Hofmann (VLB Berlin) and Jan-Ole Schneidereit (TU Berlin), (from L to R)

VLB pilot brewery receives new Innokeg KegBoy At the end of January a new cleaning and filling machine for kegs from KHS was brought into operation in the VLB’s pilot brewery.

Dr. Roland Pahl (l.) and Kurt Marshall in the VLB pilot brewery

In the VLB pilot brewery with batch sizes of approximately 2 hl kegs are not primarily used as a transport container to the end customer but rather serve as practical and safe containers in which the various test beers can be stored.

"Clean kegs are essential to our work," says Kurt Marshall, brewmaster of the VLB pilot brewery. "At this stage we are using the new KegBoy for the cleaning and counter pressurizing of reusable stainless steel kegs. After the KegBoy is

moved to our new building next year, we will also connect the integrated filling station." The Innokeg KegBoy C2 is a semiautomatic keg washing and racking machine which is specially designed for low filling quantities. It is equipped with a washing station and a racking station which are mounted side-by-side on a ground frame. The kegs are hand led by the operator with the cleaning and filling process controlled by an SPS control. In addition the KegBoy has an automatic dosage system for the rege neration of the caustic solution. According to the manufacturer a throughput of up to 35 kegs per hour is possible. "We thank KHS very much for this generous donation and support", says Dr. Roland Pahl, Head of the VLB Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Production. "This modernization was absolutely necessary and with this new KegBoy our pilot brewery is again an excellent position for the coming years." KHS The KHS GmbH - a 100 percent subsidiary of the Salzgitter AG – is one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries. The company, based in Dortmund, Germany, has more than 4,500 employees worldwide.

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events  International Conferences

VLB Conventions 2015 in Thailand and Brazil The VLB Berlin continues its international conference activities in 2015: With the Brewing Conference Bangkok in June in Thailand and the 6th Ibero-American Symposium in Brazil in September two unique platforms are on the agenda at which industry professionals can exchange knowledge and share the latest technologies. Brewing Conference Bangkok (oh) For the 3rd time the Thailand Beer Industry Guild (TBIG) and the VLB Berlin are jointly organising the Brewing Conference Bangkok. This premium event takes place at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok, Thailand, from 14 to 16 June 2015. Under the headline “TOM: Total Optimization Management” the Bangkok Brewing Conference 2015 will focus on process optimizations along the production process of the brewery. The event is addressed to managers, brewers and leading technical staff from production, filling and quality assurance of breweries and soft drink producers. During the two conference days the following topics will be discussed:  Optimization in the brew house – Where are the limits?  The cold block – How to optimize your brewing processes  Optimizing the beer shelf life – Different approaches to beer stabilization  Filling and packaging – Little measures, big effects  The holistic view – Process overlapping measures The presentations will be provided by leading specialists from VLB Berlin along with representatives from the region’s major breweries and specialist equipment suppliers. Conference language is English. The pre-conference programme includes a visit to the Ichitan Organic Green Tea Factory, one of Thailand’s leading and most advanced producers of high quality soft drinks located in Bangkok. A Beer Festival at the Royal Siam Society on Monday night as well as a Farewell Party on Tuesday evening will complete the conference agenda. The previous VLB/TBIG Brewing Conference, which took place in Bangkok in 2011, was a great success attracting over 250 delegates from the region’s brewing industry. Major sponsors of the conference are

Krones, Ecolab, SealedAir, Gebo Cermex and the Barth-Haas-Group. www.vlb-berlin.org/en/bangkok2015 6th Ibero-American VLB Symposium Brewing and Filling Technology After the success of the foregoing symposiums in Seville (Spain, 2008), in Mexico City (2011), in Petrópolis (Brazil, 2012), Buenos Aires (Argentina, 2013) and Madrid (Spain, 2014) this year’s event will be hosted in Brazil for the second time. The 6th VLB Symposium about brewing and filling technology for the Ibero-American brewing and beverage industry takes place in Itupeva (Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil), from 21 to 23 September 2015. The conference will be held trilingually in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The 3-day conference programme is addressed to managers from production, filling and quality assurance of breweries and soft drink producers and includes varied presentations and excursions. During the technical

sessions the following subjects will be discussed:  Raw materials: Market and quality  Sustainability in the brewing industry  Packaging and warehouse optimizations  Latest developments in brewing technology  Cleaning and Disinfection  Yeast and fermentation In addition, technical visits to the breweries of Brasil Kirin (Itú), Ambev (Jaguariúna), Petrópolis (Boituva) and Heineken (Araraquara) are on the agenda. An accompanying exhibition will provide further information during the coffee and lunch breaks. And last but not least – a social programme will promote the relationships and networking among the participants of the symposium. Major sponsors of the 6th Ibero-American VLB Symposium are GEA Brewery Systems, Hopsteiner, Agraria and Pentair. www.vlb-berlin.org/en/brazil2015

International VLB conventions – always a great opportunity for networking and further education

Photo: oh

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events

VLB Course Offerings Since its foundation in 1883, the VLB has also been a brewing school. In co-operation with the Technische Universität Berlin, it offers regular study programmes for brewers. Furthermore, it provides different programmes for education and continuing training in the field of beer brewing and beverage technology – also in English.

Certified Brewmaster Course The VLB’s flagship training course for prospective brewers contains a sixmonth full-time programme providing in-depth understanding of brewing technology with its related major fields of engineering, filling/packaging and quality control. A lot of practical work in our laboratories, a visit of the VLB International Brewing- and Engineering Convention in March and a final excursion are included. To receive the VLB Brewmaster Certificate, the graduates have to finish the course and all exams successfully. In addition, they have to prove a minimum of 3 months practical work in a brewery before coming to the VLB. A reasonable group size guarantees an intensive and individual teaching. Traditionally, the Berlin brewmaster education is focused on a comprehensive, practice-oriented knowledge transfer and on a critical and open dialog with the lecturers. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 11 January – 24 June 2016 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/brewmaster

Brewing in a Nutshell This 2-day residential course covers the basics of beer brewing. It approachs the general principals of the brewing and malting processes, the raw materials and filling and packaging in theory. A professional beer tasting of several different beer types completes the programme. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 26/27 November 2015 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/nutshell

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Craft Brewing in Practice This is a ten-day full-time training course providing up-to-date knowledge in the field of pub and micro brewing. It covers the basics of beer brewing in theory and practice. The lectures will approach topics like raw materials (water, malt, hops, and yeast) the brewing process, yeast management, fermentation, hygiene, sensory evaluation, basics of quality control as well as economic and legal aspects for starting a pub brewery. In addition, one day of practical work in a Berlin pub brewery is on the agenda. The students can expect an intensive and individual training with maximum benefit. Starting with practical brewing on the first day, the participants will accompany their own brew up to the final product in practical quality control. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 31 August – 11 September 2015

(fully

booked)

12 – 23 October 2015 (additional term) More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/craftbrewingcourse

Applied Microbiology “Applied Microbiology” is a one-week full-time training course providing upto-date knowledge in the field of practical microbiology with relevance for the brewing and beverage industry. It covers the basics of microbiology, laboratory techniques, as well as microbial sampling in theory and practice. The course is conducted in the VLB’s microbiological training laboratory and in our pilot brewery. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 2 – 6 November 2015 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/microbiology The VLB Berlin is an offically authorized provider of measures for employment promotion.

Training & Events

„Real Craft Brewing“ – Brewing like 1900

Micro Malting in Practice

Inhouse Training

The Brauerei Vielau, located close to Zwickau in Saxony, Germany, was firstly mentioned in a document in 1538. After comprehensive restoration works it was re-established as a technical monument in 2012. The brewery uses traditional brewing technology such as wood heating, a coolship, Baudelot cooler and open fermenters. During our workshop “A real craft brewing experience” we offer you to take part in a complete brew with this traditional equipment. Physical fitness is recommended!

The 8-day full-time hands-on course provides up-to-date knowledge in the field of malting. It covers the basics of malting technology in theory and practice. The lectures will approach topics such as malting barley and other relevant cereals (botanics, quality, varieties, enzymes a.o.), malting technology (steeping, germination, kilning, special aspects of small-scale malting, equipment) and practical laboratory work (barley and malt analysis, interpretation and assessment of different quality parameters). In addition, the participants will conduct and accompany a complete malting batch in our pilot malting.

On the basis of our regular training courses we also offer individual inhouse seminars customised on your demands in English, Russian and Spanish. The duration of those seminars is between one day and one week and depends on the topics and the level.

Location: Reinsdorf/Vielau, Germany Next date: 26 – 28 August 2015 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/realcraft2015

Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 17 – 24 May 2016 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/micromalting

Possible topics: yy Raw materials (hops, malting barley, qualities, breeding, processing, quality aspects, analyses yy Malting technology yy Water and waste water treatment yy Sensory evaluation of beer, mineral water and spirits yy Logistics yy Micobiology yy Brewing technology yy Soft drink and beverage production More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/training/inhouse-training

VLB Books

Technology Brewing & Malting

The Yeast in the Brewery

by Wolfgang Kunze

Management – Pure yeast cultures – Propagation

The worldwide most popular textbook for brewers! 5th updated English edition, 2014 960 pages, hardcover 850 figures Published by VLB Berlin ISBN 978-3-921690-77-2 149 €

VLB Berlin – Publishing Department Seestrasse 13, 13353 Berlin, Germany

Processing of various adjuncts in beer production

by Gerolf Annemüller, Hans-J. Manger, Peter Lietz

Raw grain adjuncts – Sugars and sugar syrups – Malt substitutes

1st English edition, 2011

by Gerolf Annemüller, Hans-J. Manger

440 pages, hardcover 180 figures, 220 tables

1st English edition, 2013

Published by VLB Berlin ISBN 978-3-921690-67-3 79 €

164 pages, hardcover Published by VLB Berlin ISBN 978-3-921690-74-1 69 € brewmaster@vlb-berlin.org

www.vlb-berlin.org/books Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events

First VLB Brewing Seminar in Minsk Around 50 brewing experts attended the VLB Seminar in Russian language for the malting and brewing industry which, for the first time, took place in the Republic of Belarus on 27 and 28 April 2015. evening was arranged by Druzya, a craft brewery. The guests were provided the opportunity to view the brewing plants and to taste Druzya’s four beer types. Alivaria welcomed the seminar group with open arms, took the participants over the brewery and called a press conference where Christoph Uhde, VLB Berlin, evaluated its two new beer types. Another behind-the-scenes tour was offered by Rakovskiy Brovar, which, in addition, organised a get-togehter after the last presentation on the second day to conclude the seminar. Photo: Anna Heydorn

(jr) The participants were offered a sophisticated 2-day programme with many presentations which concerned topics such as market, raw materials, sensory evaluation, packaging and microbiology. The speakers came from the brewing, malting and beverage industry, from educa-

tional institutions as well as from the Union of Brewers of the Republic of Belarus. Pleasing fringe events Three very dedicated breweries supplied a splendid supported programme: The outstanding welcome

Good feedback The VLB got great feedback for the seminar and particularly for the move running an event in the Republic of Belarus. The participants who came from countries such as Russia, Georgia and of course the Republic of Belarus highly appreciated the seminar as a communication platform. The VLB takes into consideration to repeat the course in Minsk next year.

VLB Symposium in Moscow accompanies new international trade fair Beviale Moscow The 11th VLB Seminar for the Brewing and Beverage Industry in Russia and 6th Russian MicroBrew Seminar will be held in early October in Moscow at the newly created Beviale Moscow from NürnbergMesse. (F./BF) The new offshoot of BrauBeviale in Nuremberg, one of the world’s most important trade fairs for investment goods in the beverages industry this year, is concentrating on the Eastern European market. It will be held for the first time from 6 to 8 October 2015 at the Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre in Moscow. The specialist range of products and services extends across the entire value-added chain of beverages production: from high-quality raw materials through to innovative technologies and tailor-made logistics up to creative marketing ideas.

For the trade visitors from the Eastern European region the Beviale Moscow offers an ideal platform enabling them to find individual solutions for their requirements. Further training included A specialist highlight in the supporting programme: the flanking congress organized by the VLB Berlin which includes the VLB Seminar for the Brewing and Beverages Industry in Russia and the MicroBrew Symposium Russia. The courses for management personnel from the industry as well

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

as craft brewers and breweries are in great demand and also established in Russia. From 2015 they will take place parallel to the Beviale Moscow. The programmes of the two seminars will include presentations on current topics with practical relevance for the respective target group. The speakers are experienced VLB staff as well as experts from selected companies of the supply industry. All presentations will be held in Russian respectively translated into Russian language. For the latest information go to: www.beviale-moscow.com/en

Training & Events

3rd European MicroBrew Symposium in Nuremberg In the autumn of 2014, the 3rd European MicrewBrew Symposium took place in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Germany, on the eve of BrauBeviale. More than 100 craft and micro brewers forgathered on 10 November to follow the comprehensive lecture programme and to exchange views. (jr) The conference provided numerous presentations on the subjects of markets, product development, brewhouse operations, quality and beer flavour. The lecturers were just as international as the participants, who came from 25 countries from all over the world. Insight into the worldwide craft brewing practice While, for example, Chuck Skypeck, Brewers Association, USA, had a focus on current developments and challenges in the US craft brewing sector, Giovanni Campari, Birrificio del Ducato, Italy, reported on the craft beer movement in Italy and the story of his own brewery. Horst Dornbusch, Cerevisia Communications, USA, compared the German with the Angloamerican method of wort production and Kelly Tretter’s, New Belgium Brewery, USA / American Society of Brewing Chemists, ASBC, gave a lecture on fermentation and maturation of beer in wooden barrels, just as it happens in her brewery. There were presentations on raw materials and their careful selecting for the brewing to reach the favoured flavour profile both by Ulrich Ferstl, Weyermann Malz, Germany, and by Carlos Ruiz, HVG Hopfenverwertungsgenossenschaft, Germany.

Julia Ganser as well as Michaela Schölnberger, Anton Paar, Austria, and Oliver Jakob, GEA Brewery Systems, Germany, introduced modern technology for quality control and brewery equipment for craft breweries. Presentations from the research Experts from the VLB Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Production (FIBGP), Germany, were also among the contributors. They commented inter alia on the mile stones of a successful product development, gave recommendations for an effective quality control as well as for efficient hygiene measures and explained the formation of different

aroma compositions during the fermentation. Cheerful conclusion The breaks, in between, facilitated rewarding conversations and offered to taste a choice of craft beer. After the last presentation, shuttle buses brought the participants to an old industrial building on the site of the former AEG works. The VLB and Schanzenbräu, a small craft brewery in Nuremberg, asked to a convivial evening with beer and food from a food truck. The 4th European MicroBrew Symposium takes place on 9 November 2015, again directly before BrauBeviale 2015.

4th European MicroBrew Symposium Market, Trends & Technology

Abbildungen 1 + 3 The conference hall was well-filled 2 A choice of craft beer for the breaks 4 Giovanni Campari (Birrificio del Ducato, Italy) 5 Conviviality until late in the night with Schanzenbräu

in cooperation with

9 November 2015, Nuremberg, Germany Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events

VLB Berlin at the Craft Brewers Conference 2015 in Portland, USA More than 11 500 brewing professionals and exhibitors gathered together in Portland, Oregon, USA, for the Craft Brewers Conference from April 14-17, 2015. Also present was the VLB Berlin which has accompanied this event for the last 10 years. Alongside this year’s conference the VLB hosted its 3rd international gathering of VLB/TUB brewing alumni at the PINTS Brewing Company in Portland. (oh) In this combination of a trade show alongside a conference, the Craft Brewers Conference/BrewExpo America® has developed to become one of the largest gathering for the brewing industry worldwide. This year more than 11 500 brewing professionals and about 600 exhibitors attended this event in Portland, Oregon, USA. Paul Gaza, Director of the Brewers Association, reported a total of 3418 craft breweries that are currently in operation in the USA. In 2014 they produced a total of 25.9 mio hl beer. This accounted for 11 % by volume of the total US beer production. According to

the BA statistics, currently about 2000 new breweries are in the planning stage – so the success story of the US craft brewers seems to be continuing. Accordingly the BA declared a quite confident aim of 20 % market share for the US craft brewers in 2020. However, in addition to the optimistic figures, Gaza reported some challenges: The overexpansion of some breweries results in problems of long storage times and in the nation-wide distribution. In terms of legislation, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came up with some new regulations, e.g. for the use of spent grains as

animal feed. The enormous growth in the number of breweries and brands also resulted in a shortage of available names and causes conflicts of intellectual property rights. And last but not least, the BA emphasized its absolute commitment to quality: „If you don‘t care about your beer quality, you don‘t belong to our community“, Paul Gaza stated in front of several thousand participants at the Opening Session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Portland. The 2016 CBC will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3-6, in conjunction with the 2016 World Beer Cup®.

3rd VLB international Alumni Gathering April 16, 2015, PINTS Brewing, Portland (OR), USA 28

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events VLB international Alumni & Members Gathering 2015 Alongside this year‘s Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, the VLB hosted its 3rd international gathering of VLB/ TUB brewing alumni. More than 40 participants spent a relaxed and communicative evening at the PINTS Brewing Company in Portland. Meanwhile it has become a young tradition: As the Craft Brewers Conference in the USA becomes bigger and bigger, a lot of graduates of VLB Berlin / TU Berlin from North and South America are also visiting this great event. After having alumni gatherings 2011 in San Francisco and 2014 in Denver, VLB again organized a follow-up meeting this April in Portland. Location was the PINTS Brewing Co, one of more than 50 craft breweries which are currently in operation in Portland. The very special thing about PINTS is that its Head Brewer Alan Taylor is a graduate of the VLB Brewmaster Course 1998. Together with more than 40 Brewing Engineers, Diplom-Braumeister and Certified Brewmasters from the USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mongolia, Ukraine and Germany and some additional special guests the VLB staff spent a great evening and shared a couple of excellent beers. A lot of memories were exchanged and new contacts were established in the pleasant atmosphere of this brewpub. The 4th International VLB Meeting of Alumni and Members will be held alongside next year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, USA, in May.

Photos: oh

1 – The 3rd VLB international Alumni Gathering took place at the PINTS Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon 2 – VLB gave seven technical presentations in the seminar programme of this year’s CBC. All of them attracted a lot of attention 3 – Graduates from the VLB Certified Brewmaster Course 2007: John Lane (USA), Erica Graholm (Canada), John Bryce (USA) and Ana Lucia Nájera Santeli (Ecuador). This April, John Bryce has been named as the new Technical Outreach Director of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA). Congratulations! 4 – Small booth, many people! The VLB team in Portland: Dr. Josef Fontaine, Dr. Nils Rettberg, Olaf Hendel, Dr. Deniz Bilge, Burghard Meyer and Dr. Roland Pahl

Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Training & Events Imprint

 VLB Berlin – Contacts

Brauerei Forum Technical periodical for breweries, malthouses, the beverage industry and their partners Information service of VLB Berlin www.brauerei-forum.de ISSN 0179–2466

VLB institutes and departments VLB Berlin, Seestrasse 13, 13353 Berlin, Germany  + 49 (30) 450 80-0,  brewmaster@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org Managing Director

Head of Finance

Publisher Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB) e.V. Seestrasse 13, 13353 Berlin, Germany

Dr.-Ing. Josef Fontaine  + 49 (30) 450 80-292  fontaine@vlb-berlin.org

Dipl.-Kauffrau (FH) Manuela Hauffe  + 49 (30) 450 80-237  hauffe@vlb-berlin.org

Editorial Office Brauerei Forum Seestrasse 13, 13353 Berlin, Germany Phone: + 49 (30) 4 50 80-245 Fax: + 49 (30) 4 50 80-210 Email: redaktion@brauerei-forum.de Internet: www.brauerei-forum.de

Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Production (FIBGP)

Research Institute for Raw Materials (FIR)

Dr.-Ing. Roland Pahl  + 49 (30) 450 80-238  pahl@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fibgp

Prof. Dr. Frank Rath  + 49 (30) 450 80-154  rath@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fir

Editorial Department Olaf Hendel, Editor-in-Chief (oh) hendel@vlb-berlin.org Juliane Rahl (jr) rahl@vlb-berlin.org Dieter Prokein (dp) prokein@vlb-berlin.org Brauerei Forum Advisory Board Dr.-Ing. Josef Fontaine, Wolfgang Kunze (WK), Dr. sc. techn. Hans-J. Manger Advertising Sales VLB PR and Publishing Department Phone +49 (30) 450 80-255 media@brauerei-forum.de Publication Dates Appears with 10 editions a year, in German plus 2 issues in English. Day of publication: 22th of May 2015 Subscriptions Domestic 95 € incl. VAT Abroad 95 € (+ shipping) Cancellation of the subscription in each case at the end of the year Westkreuz Verlag, Berlin Phone +49 (30) 7 45 20 47 Fax +49 (30) 745 30 66 abo@brauerei-forum.de Print and Distribution Westkreuz-Druckerei Ahrens KG Berlin/Bonn, Töpchiner Weg 198/200 12309 Berlin, Germany All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of VLB Berlin. We do not accept any liability of unsolicited sended scripts.

Testing Laboratory for Packaging Dipl.-Ing. Ingrid Weber  + 49 (30) 450 80-242  weber@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/vp

Biological Laboratory Dr. Johannes Hinrichs  + 49 (30) 450 80-236  hinrichs@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/biolab

Research Institute for Biotechnology and Water Dr. Katrin Schreiber + 49 (30) 450 80-168  k.schreiber@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fibm

Research Department for Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology Dr. Martin Senz  + 49 (30) 450 80-157  marting.senz@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fmibi

Research Department for Water and Waste Water Technology Dr. rer. nat. Alfons Ahrens  + 49 (30) 450 80-294  ahrens@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fiwat

IfGB Focus Spirits & Distilling Wiebke Künnemann  + 49 (30) 450 80-270  kuennemann@vlb-berlin.org  www.ifgb.de

Brauerei Brauerei Forum Forum – – VLB International May 2015

Research Institute for Management and Beverage Logistics (FIM) Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Heyer  + 49 (30) 450 80-139  heyer@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fim

Research Institute for Special Analyses (FIS) Dr. Nils Rettberg + 49 (30) 450 80-106  n.rettberg@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/fis

Central Laboratory Dr. rer. nat. Diedrich Harms  + 49 (30) 450 80-233  harms@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/zl

PR and Publishing Department/ Editorial Office “Brauerei Forum“ Dipl.-Ing. Olaf Hendel  + 49 (30) 450 80-255  hendel@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/pr

Research Coordinator Gerhard A. Schreiber  + 49 (30) 450 80-121  labotech@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/labotech

VLB LaboTech GmbH  + 49 (30) 450 80-220  labotech@vlb-berlin.org  www.vlb-berlin.org/labotech

Training & Events

Check your expert knowledge!

8 During the maturation of the beer, among others diacetyl is degraded. Which substance is formed during this process? a) 2,3-Pentandion b) 2,3-Butandion c) 4-Vinylguajacol d) Ferula acid e) Acetoin

1 The banana flavour of a bavarian style Hefeweizen is caused by a special metabolic product of the wheat beer yeast strain. This chemical compound is a) Isoamyl acetate b) Methanol c) Lactic acid d) Xanthohumole 2 The so-called ”Skunk flavour“ is another expression for the following off-flavour in beer: a) Autolysis flavour b) Banana flavour c) Oxidation d) Cardboard flavour e) Lightstruck flavour 3 The CO2 is not removed completely from a fermentation tank. What is the risk during a caustic cleaning? a) Explosive oxyhydrogen can be formed b) Toxic carbon monoxide can be formed c) Due to a chemical reaction a semi-vacuum can arise and can damage the tank d) The tank will not be cleaned properly 4 Melanoidins are colouring and flavouring agents and responsible for the characteristics of malt. In which step of the malting process are the melanoidins mainly formed? a) During steeping b) During germination c) During kilning d) During storage 5 The head stability of a finished beer is weak. Which enzyme could be responsible for this effect if there were no other mistakes made during the brewing process? a) α-Amylases b) Proteases c) β-Amylases d) Lipases e) Zymases 6 In a lauter tun a short break is recommended before starting the lautering process (lauter rest). Why? a) to warm up the lauter kettle b) to increase the protein degradation in the mash c) to enable the formation of a filtration layer inside the lauter tun d) to gain time to start the next brew 7 Which one of the following chemical formulas describes the water decarbonisation process using calcium carbonate? a) Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 → 2 CaCO3 + 2 H2O b) Ca(HCO3)2 + Energy → CaCO3 + H2O + CO2 c) NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O d) H2CO3 + Energy → H2O + CO2

10 What does “Hop Pellet Type 45“ stand for? a) The α-acids content is 45 % b) The bitterness yield is 45 % c) The pellets contain 45 % Lupulin d) 45 kg hop pellets are made from 100 kg dried raw hops 11 What is the taste threshold? a) The concentration at which an individual can detect the typical taste of a substance b) The number of taste buds on a tongue c) The lethal concentration of a substance d) The volume of beer you are able to drink in a session 12 Which gas is not appropriate for beer dispensing? a) Nitrogen b) Carbon dioxide c) Oxygen d) Mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide 13 Which beer spoiling micro-organism produces diacetyl? a) Megasphera b) Pediococcus damnosus c) Lactobacillus brevis d) Lactobacillus lindnerii e) Acetobacter 14 One main purpose of the mashing process is the degradation of starch to maltose. Which of the following options is the correct chemical formula of maltose? a) C2H4O2 b) C2H12O12 c) C12H24O12 d) C6H12O6 e) C12H22O11

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Malt Extract: Correct answers:

1 a) Isoamyl acetate / 2 e) Lightstruck flavour 3. c) Due to a chemical reaction a semi-vacuum can arise and can damage the tank 4. c) During kilning / 5. b) Proteases 6. c) To enable the formation of a filtration layer inside the lauter tun 7 a) Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 → 2 CaCO3 + 2 H2O 8 e) Acetoin 9 c) Brewing beer with a high original gravity which is diluted before filling 10 d) 45 kg hop pellets are made from 100 kg dried raw hops 11 a) The concentration at which an individual can detect the typical taste of a substance 12 c) Oxygen 13 b) Pediococcus damnosus 14 e) C12H22O11

How good is your expert knowledge of beer brewing? The following questions cover a broad range of facts which a professional brewer should be familiar with. The questions are taken from the final examination which a professional brewer and maltster in Germany has to pass after an apprenticeship of three years in a brewery.

9 What is high gravity brewing? a) Brewing a beer with a very high bitterness b) Brewing a beer with a high protein content c) Brewing beer with a high original gravity which is diluted before filling d) Brewing beer with a high tannin content in order to extend its shelf life

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Brauerei Forum – VLB International May 2015

Our next international edition will be published in November 2015

VLB int. Schedule 2015/2016

 Brewing Conference Bangkok 2015 14 to 16 June 2015, Bangkok, Thailand Language: English

 Brewing in a Nutshell 2015 Seminar, 26/27 November 2015, Berlin, Germany Language: English

 VLB Summer Party 2015 3 July 2015, Berlin, Germany

 Certified Brewmaster Course 2016 11 January to 24 June 2016, Berlin, Germany Language: English

 Craft Brewing in Practice 2015 Workshop, Berlin, Germany, Language: English 31 August to 11 September 2015 (fully booked), 12 to 23 October 2015 (additional term)  6th Ibero-American Symposium Brewing and Filling Technology 21 to 23 September 2015, Campinas, SP, Brazil Language: Portuguese / Spanish / English  102nd VLB October Convention 2015 incl. 44th International Malting Barley Seminar 5 to 6 October 2015, Berlin, Germany Language: German / English  11th VLB Seminar for the Malting, Brewing and Beverage Industry & 6th VLB MicroBrew Seminar 6 to 8 October 2015, Moscow, Russia Language: Russian / German  Workshop ”Applied Microbiology“ 2015 2 to 6 November 2015, Berlin, Germany Language: English  4th European MicroBrew Symposium 2015 9 November 2015, Nuremberg, Germany Language: English

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 103rd Brewing and Engineering Conference 2016 6 to 8 March 2016, Language: German / English  Micro Malting in Practice 2016 17 to 24 May 2016, Berlin, Language: English VLB is exhibiting at the following international congresses and trade fairs in 2015:  35th Congress of the European Brewery Convention (EBC) 24 to 28 May 2015, Porto, Portugal

 Brasil Brau 2015 15 to 18 July 2015, São Paulo, Brazil  Beviale Moscow 2015 6 to 8 October 2015, Moscow, Russia

 Brau Beviale 2015 10 to 12 November 2015, Nuremberg, Germany

www.vlb-berlin.org/events

Subject to change

 Workshop ”Real Craft Brewing“ 26 to 28 August 2015, Vielau, Germany