VLB Symposium: Sour fermented, non-alcoholic beverages remain as popular as ever

 VLB SYMPOSIUM

Sour fermented, non-alcoholic beverages remain as popular as ever

Dr. Martin Senz, Head of VLB Research Institute for Biotechnology and Water

The inaugural symposium on acidic fermented, non-alcoholic beverages was held in 2019. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was postponed until 2021, with the VLB Virtual Campus chosen as the new venue. At long last, VLB Berlin was able to open its doors again for an international inperson event held on 24 and 25 May 2022.

right: Dr. Mathias Hutzler listened with interest to the presentations. He talked about pure and mixed fermentations on day 2 of the symposium

below: Dr. Martin Senz, who organised the event, welcomed the participants at his opening speech The joy of being able to meet and talk at a live event was clear to see on the faces of the 85 people from ten countries across Europe who attended the symposium. During the breaks, people discussed the event with a sour fermented drink in hand, be it water kefir or kombucha. And on the first night of the symposium, everyone enjoyed the warm summer evening with a Berliner Weisse or other type of beer. Before the presentations began, participants had the opportunity to learn about flow cytometry technology in a demonstration by Sysmex. In this workshop targeted at the beverage industry, anyone who wanted to could perform analyses on real samples and learn more about the kits available and the potential of the technology live and in person.

Day 1

Following a short presentation on VLB Berlin by VLB’s Managing Director Dr. Josef Fontaine and an introduction by Dr. Martin Senz, Head of the VLB Research Institute for Biotechnology and Water (FIBW) and host of the conference, Dr. Christian von Wallbrunn from Hochschule Geisenheim University started the symposium off by providing an overview of alternative fermentations in beverage technology. In his presentation, he discussed the wide variety of microbes and raw materials used in different beverage fermentations and highlighted the overlaps that could be of interest to practitioners. Wallbrunn motivated the audience to think outside the box and, wherever possible, draw on existing knowledge and combine it in new ways so that we can continue to enjoy new products in the future.

Fabio Carlucci, founder and CEO of ROY Kombucha, took the audience on the journey of the startup, which launched back in 2019. In a presentation on the story of ROY Kombucha, he described the company’s growth from the early days where it brewed kombucha in a kitchen to when it became an established market player in 2022. Participants found out about the hurdles a growing company has to overcome and the many responsibilities that come with this. Carlucci also touched on the issues and choices that a food manufacturer constantly faces.

Dr. Thierry Tran from the University of Burgundy (France) closed out the first of the six sessions. In his presentation, Tran spoke about the latest findings from his research on kombucha fermentation, highlighting the interactions of yeasts and acetic acid bacteria typically found

Photos: ew

in kombucha and the associated effects on aroma-related fermentation by-products.

Dr. Paul Cotter, Head of Food Bioscience at Teagasc Food Research Center in Ireland, started off the second session. In his presentation on microbiome-based research in fermented beverages, he outlined the possibilities of using the latest NGS technologies to identify and compare characteristic microbiomes of various traditional fermentation products. Using kefir beverages as an example, he explored the topic of microbiota both original and characteristic of the beverage and discussed the implications for food regulation in relation to modern production.

In her presentation on state of the art technology in vinegar production, which opens up the possibility of fully automated, industrial-scale kombucha production, Liesa Wilsberg, Managing Director of Cetotec GmbH, discussed

automation of the kombucha

production process and the current technological requirements regarding controlled production. Because Cetotec was a silver-level sponsor of the event, participants had the opportunity to share ideas and experience with plant technology in the exhibition area at the end of the session.

Simon Gerhard reported on all about tea as a raw material. He touched on the enormous differences in the quality of the product from the perspective of the global Martin Bauer Group, which develops plant-based solutions for the tea and beverage industry. He also discussed the use of tea as the primary ingredient in the production of fermented kombucha.

The final presentation of the second session on the influ-

ence of yeast additives on the

aroma profile of kombucha by Dr. Niel van Wyk (Hochschule Geisenheim University) also focused on current research into kombucha. He presented recent findings from research at the university regarding the influence of the targeted addition of non-typical yeasts on the aroma profile in the production of kombucha.

The third session was kicked off by a presentation on the international kombucha market by Denis Kelleher, CEO of Good Culture Kombucha (Ireland). He explained how the many categories of kombucha now available are produced and why this is important, especially when it comes to marketing the beverage. According to Kelleher, the cult drink is currently subject to a lot of hype. This is reflected in new food products such as ice cream or sweets in which kombucha is used as a “hero ingredient” to create new taste experiences.

An overview of the regulatory

aspects of sour fermented

beverages from a European perspective was provided by Jana Thenert from analyze & realize GmbH. She gave an overview of how traditional and new beverages are named, as well as possible claims made about these products. Along with that, she also drew attention to the major regulatory gaps in the relevant product categories. She then went on to discuss the need for greater regulation to members of the audience in the auditorium, at which time she touched on the different views and opinions of food producers, suppliers, and consumers and highlighted potential challenges faced by food manufacturers and regulators when niche products rapidly establish a foothold on the market.

Dr. Daniel Ramón Vidal, ADM Biopolis, Spain, closed out the first day of presentations. He discussed the use of probiot-

ics, prebiotics, and postbiot-

ics in the beverage industry. He then went on to describe the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of biological substances and microorganisms and the mechanisms that underlie them. In addition to this, he also presented a number of examples of how modern technologies and analytical methods can be used to demonstrate the correlation between diet and the effects of functional ingredients.

At the subsequent get-together, participants exchanged ideas over a variety of sour fermented beverages. One of the main highlights of the evening was a tour of the Wilfried Rinke Pilot Brewery operated by VLB Berlin, with traditional Berliner Weisse and other beers on tap in a nod to the symposium.

Day 2

The second day of the symposium got started with a presentation by Dr. David Laureys, Innovation Center for Brewing & Fermentation at Ghent University, on current research

findings on the production of

water kefir. He presented factors that influence the lactic fermentation process of the beverage and explained the impact of various process factors on the product when reusing the water kefir crystals, also known as backslopping. The speaker described how the fermentation temperature over several cycles enables the amount of certain lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to increase or decrease and how these contribute to the characteristics of the beverage.

Maciej Krol, founder of mac. ferments ApS (Copenhagen), provided an overview of nolo fermented beverages in

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Checking the agenda on the mobile phone

During the breaks sour fermented drinks could be tasted: Dr. Christian von Wallbrunn (r.), who hold the first presentation of the symposium, was offered a sample of Kombucha Denmark, with a special focus on kombucha. Krol spoke about the brands and trends on the market and outlined the potential for small and medium-sized beverage producers in particular to position themselves in an increasingly diversified market.

Philippe Janssens, application specialist from Fermentis by Lesaffre (France), closed out the first session of the day with a presentation that covered both technical and scientific aspects of the production of

non-alcoholic and reduced-

alcohol beers (sour NABLAB). In addition to exploring fundamental aspects of the production process, he also presented in-depth studies on different combinations of mashing processes, wort acidification, and subsequent fermentation with special yeasts. Janssens detailed how the various production processes correlate with product characteristics, including the fermentation by-products that for bitterness units and sensory impression. During the break that followed, those who wanted to learn more about the various lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and their use in practice had the opportunity to visit the booth of silver-level event sponsor Fermentis.

In his presentation, Dr. Mathias Hutzler, Director of the Microbiology and Yeast Center at the Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality, illustrated the

current status in bev-

erage fermentation. To get things started, Hutzler gave an overview of the history of the use of yeast cultures in beverage fermentation. He reported that before yeast cultures were utilized, all beverage fermentation was done using mixed populations of bacteria and yeasts. It was not until 1883 that yeast cultivation was successfully carried out on an industrial scale. Using current examples of beverages fermented in a mixed culture, the speaker explored their

complexity and described modern techniques and approaches to characterize and develop processes.

Dr. Martin Senz, Head of the VLB Research Institute for Biotechnology and Water (FIBW), then explored the question of what are

the basics for the classification of

acidic fermented beverages? In his presentation, the speaker highlighted the different motivations from the perspective of beverage producers, government agencies, marketing professionals, and the scientific community. He described strategies for manufacturing complex and “traditional” fermentation products as well as gaps in how they are defined under current regulations. This was followed by a panel discussion where representatives from industry, stakeholders, and the scientific community discussed aspects of manufacturing and food categorization. The positions taken and ideas expressed on issues such as the extent to which certain types of beverages may be overregulated, or when a product is considered “traditional,” were a testament to the wide range of disciplines represented at the event. The discussions highlighted gaps in the regulation of certain types of beverages internationally. The final session kicked off with a presentation by Dr. Fanny Canon, Atelier du Fruit (France). She reported on an article from the Institut Agro Dijon in France on micro-

bial interactions and interactions

in co-cultures. Canon provided an overview of the latest information available on the interactions, some of which are multifactorial, and discussed the importance and potential of fermentation products.

The next presentation shifted away from microbiology to look at food chemistry. Dr. Sascha Rohn, Technical University of Berlin, focused on the raw materials required to make beverages and shed light on the functionalities of phytochemicals for short. He pointed out that many processes that foods and beverages undergo, be that during manufacturing, handling, or digestion, can lead to structural changes in the ingredients, which may also affect their functionality.

In the final presentation of the symposium, Sophie Lange from VLB Berlin gave a practical overview of

different microbiological analy-

ses that can be used for isolation, identification, and quantification of beverage-specific microorganisms. Lange used selected examples to present possibilities for a systematic approach that can also be used in beverage development.

To close out the event, Dr. Martin Senz gave a few parting words to everyone in attendance. He re-iterated that there have been great strides in science in the field of complex fermentation products, which were reflected in the presentations and discussions. The ingredients and properties of the various types of beverages discussed at the event have the potential to bolster trends and contribute to a healthy lifestyle. According to Senz, however, much more information is required in order to tap this potential. Other things that are needed include transparency and consumer education.

The next symposium on acidic fermented, nonalcoholic beverages is scheduled for May 2024.