Lesson 6 - Process Aids and Additions

Welcome back. So, what were your thoughts?

You may choose to select a silica hydrogel to remove haze-forming proteins. You may also wish to use PVPP in combination, to adsorb the polyphenols. The latter is of particular benefit as it does not bind with foam forming proteins, neither does it bind with the polyphenols involved with oxygen radical removal. It therefore enhances flavour stability. These benefits combined will help extend your product’s shelf-life stability, which is especially important for export products.

You could also consider a proline specific enzyme. Should your brand prove to be a success, this could help reduce end-to-end production time without adversely affecting quality.

You may want to avoid using tannic acid as this produces a precipitate that is not compact in the maturation vessel and would elevate process losses. Tannic acid may reduce filter run lengths. This would subsequently require additional filter aids. As the process will take longer, more labour would be required, which in turn would elevate product cost.

We should avoid using enzymes, as these may survive after pasteurisation (heat treatment) if using less than 20 PU (pasteurisation units). Beer left on the sunny dock of a tropical country, having arrived by sea, will be more prone to accelerated chemical reactions. As a result, residual enzyme activity in the bottle, can, or keg could spell disaster for your new Vienna brand!