Z. JIANG (1), X. Liu (1), L. Thamm (2), Z. Yue (3), G. Zhou (3); (1)
Yantai University, Yantai, China; (2) Ganter Brauerei, Freiburg,
Germany; (3) Shandong Institute of Light Industry, Jinan, China
Poster
In this study, a novel approach to produce alcohol-free beer is
described. The process mainly includes the following steps: specialized
mashing, limited fermentation, and vacuum distillation to prepare the
concentrated extract. Breweries can produce alcohol-free beer using the
extract. Wort of 11.0°P, which had low levels of fermentable sugar, was
prepared by infusion mashing. When the level of fermentable sugar was
reduced by 25%, the fermented medium was quickly cooled from 18 to 0°C
and held for 2 days. After being degassed and separated from yeast
cells, the young beer was concentrated at the vacuum with a degree of
0.06 MPa. The concentrate of 60°P was diluted to 4.0°P with deoxygenated
water and stored at 1°C. CO2 was added to 6.0 g/L, followed
by the addition of regular matured beer. The mixture was incubated for
2–3 days to develop normal beer aroma. Analysis of the prepared
alcohol-free beer showed several favorable parameters, including alcohol
level at 0.5% (vol/vol), color at 7.0 EBC, TBA (thiobarbituric acid)
value at 1.05, and ratio of alcohols to esters at 1.08. Compared with
traditional methods for alcohol-free beer production, this novel
approach potentially constitutes a favorable alternative for producing
alcohol-free beer with regular beer characteristics and satisfactory
stability.
Zhumao Jiang, associate professor of food fermentation engineering,
doubles as director of the Food Fermentation Engineering Survey Section
in the School of Life Sciences of Yantai University. Zhumao got his
bachelor’s degree in food engineering from Wuxi Institute of Light
Industry (now Jiangnan University) in 1982, and worked in Huaiyin
Industrial College (now Huaiyin Institute of Technology) teaching and
researching food microbiology and brewing technology. Since 1995, he has
been working in the Yantai University, Science and Engineering College
of Chemistry and Biology, teaching and researching, in turn,
fermentation technology and bioengineering equipment in bioengineering,
fermented food technology, and food additives in food science and
engineering. He is also a member of the China-Germany Brewing Technical
Service Center, a permanent member of the Chinese Society for
Microbiology, and a council member of the Chinese Institute of Food
Science and Technology Branch on lactic acid bacteria.
