Beer
PEF for beer production
Product examples: beer, artisanal beer
Aim PEF treatment: Microbial inactivation, stress response, nonthermal preservation
Cumulative effect PEF and hop
The combination of pulsed electric field processing and hop addition is a promising nonthermal beer preservation method. Hop bitter acids act as a carrier of protons in the cytoplasmic membrane; trapping protons at the outer membrane surface and carrying them to the inside, thus reducing intracellular pH. This effect leads to a loss of transmembrane pH gradient and starvation of cells. See also: Food preservation.
Benefits PEF
- For (artisanal) beer production PEF results in a longer shelf life
- Higher process efficiency by large reductions in energy, labor and running costs
- Vitamins, minerals, pigments, antioxidants and flavors are retained producing a healthier, fresher and more appetizing final product
- Extended shelf life results in greater flexibility for production planning
- Continuous process and rapid technique
- Small equipment footprint, quick start up of the process
- Low energy requirement
More information
Pulsemaster has developed industrial scale equipment – named Conditioner – with treatment capacities up to 5,000 l/h (1320 US gal./h) for microbial inactivation.