Low-alcohol Beer Research Articles

Pilot Plant Production of Low-Alcohol Beer by Osmotic Distillation

Osmotic distillation (OD) is a membrane technology frequently applied for dissolved gas removal from liquids and for liquid concentration; recently, there has been increasing interest in the use of this technology to dealcoholize beverages. The aim of this work was to ascertain the feasibility of a semi-industrial scale of beer dealcoholization by OD using a pilot plant. The process was optimized by the variation of technological parameters to determine the effect of different operating conditions on the quality and organoleptic properties of the dealcoholized beer. The most important beer quality parameters were determined before and after the dealcoholization, as well as the volatile composition by gas chromatography and the organoleptic characteristics by a trained panel. The findings indicated that OD is an appropriate process for low-alcohol beer production. Some issues, such as the loss of volatile compounds and the high amount of stripping solution required, limit its growth. The report of the panel showed that beer with an organoleptic profile more characterized by malty features than by ester content could be appropriate for this treatment.

Disaggregated econometric estimation of consumer demand response by alcoholic beverage types

The paper presents estimates of price elasticities of demand for 12 disaggregated alcoholic beverages in Australia: premium beer, full strength beer, low alcohol beer and mid-strength beer; red bottled wine, white bottled wine, sparkling wine, cask wine; dark and light ready-to-drink (RTD); and dark and light spirits. These disaggregated categories correspond closely to the commodities of interest to public policymakers with respect to taxation and health policies. The system of demand equations is estimated with Nielsen's data using a semiflexible Almost Ideal Demand System model in order to impose negative semi-definiteness on the demand parameters. Results indicate elastic own-price elasticities for virtually all commodities. Cross-price elasticities suggest that beverages most linked with negative externalities, namely full strength beer, dark RTD and dark spirits, may need to be taxed jointly. Any proposed tax increase to cask wine may also result in consumers shifting demand to more undesirable beverages. The elasticity estimates are used to illustrate the effect of a hypothetical change towards taxation equalisation based on alcohol content. These elasticities offer crucially needed inputs for analysing any tax change policies.

Quantification of Total and Hexavalent Chromium in Lager Beers: Variability between Styles and Estimation of Daily Intake of Chromium from Beer

A survey of the presence of total and hexavalent chromium in lager beers was conducted to understand the variability between different styles of lager beer packaged in glass or cans and to estimate daily intake of total Cr and hexavalent chromium from beer. Graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy using validated methodologies was applied. Selective extraction of hexavalent chromium was performed using a Chromabond NH2/500 mg column and elution with nitric acid. The detection limits were 0.26 and 0.68 μg L(-1) for total Cr and Cr(VI), respectively. The mean content of total Cr ranged between 1.13 μg L(-1) in canned pale lager and 4.32 μg L(-1) in low-alcohol beers, whereas the mean content of Cr(VI) was <2.51 μg L(-1). Considering an intake of 500 mL of beer, beer consumption can contribute approximately 2.28-8.64 and 1.6-6.17% of the recommended daily intake of chromium for women and men, respectively.

Development of a species-specific PCR assay for identification of the strictly anaerobic bacterium Selenomonas lacticifex found in biofilm-covered surfaces in brewery bottling halls.

In recent years, beer-spoilage cases from strictly anaerobic bacteria have risen in frequency, in connection with the production of non-pasteurized, non-alcohol and low-alcoholic beers and with the lowering of dissolved oxygen in the packaged beer. Selenomonas lacticifex, found in brewer's yeast and in biofilms covering some surfaces in brewery bottling area, is considered to be a beer-spoilage organism. This study aims to develop S.lacticifex-specific PCR assay. The objective of this study was also evaluation of the specificity and reproducibility of the developed PCR assay in real brewery samples. Three primers (one forward and two reverse) were designed for identification of the strictly anaerobic bacterium S.lacticifex on the basis of the species-specific sequences of the 16S rDNA region. The specificity of the primers was tested against 44 brewery-related non-target micro-organisms that could potentially occur in the same brewery specimens. None of the primer pairs amplified DNA from any of the non-S.lacticifex strains tested including genera from the same family (Pectinatus, Megasphaera, Zymophilus) and the closely related species Selenomonas ruminantium, showing thus 100% specificity. The PCR assay developed in this study enables the detection of the strictly anaerobic bacterium S.lacticifex in real brewery samples including pitching yeast. Selenomonas lacticifex-specific PCR assay developed in this study allows for the extension of the spectra of detected beer-spoilage micro-organisms in brewing laboratories and thus lowering the risk of contamination of the final product.

Low-alcohol Beers: Flavor Compounds, Defects, and Improvement Strategies

Beer consumers are accustomed to a product that offers a pleasant and well-defined taste. However, in alcohol-free and alcohol-reduced beers these characteristics are totally different from those in regular beer. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and determine the different flavor compounds that affect organoleptic characteristics to obtain a product that does not contain off-flavors, or taste of grass or wort. The taste defects in alcohol-free beer are mainly attributed to loss of aromatic esters, insufficient aldehydes, reduction or loss of different alcohols, and an indeterminate change in any of its compounds during the dealcoholization process. The dealcoholization processes that are commonly used to reduce the alcohol content in beer are shown, as well as the negative consequences of these processes to beer flavor. Possible strategies to circumvent such negative consequences are suggested.

Postexercise rehydration with beer impairs fluid retention, reaction time, and balance.

Beer is promoted by popular media as a good choice for rehydration, but there is limited support for the claim. To assess the effect of beer alcohol on rehydration and motor control, 11 young (24.4 ± 3.7 years old) males of legal drinking age were dehydrated to 2.12% ± 0.20% body mass (mean ± SD) by exercising in a climatic chamber (31.7 ± 1.6 °C, 55.0% ± 8.3% relative humidity) on 3 different days, 1 week apart, and rehydrated with 100% of their sweat loss using water (WATER), 4.6% alcohol beer (BEER), or low-alcohol beer (LAB), in random order. Urine output, blood alcohol content (BAC), reaction time (RT), and balance (as measured by center of pressure velocity (VCoP)) were measured every 30 min over 3 h and compared via 2-way, repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs). After consuming ≈1.6 L in 1 h, urine output was greater for BEER (1218 ± 279 mL) than for LAB (745 ± 313 mL, p = 0.007) and WATER (774 ± 304 mL, p = 0.043). BAC remained at 0 with WATER and LAB; with BEER, BAC reached 0.857 g/L (95% confidence intervals [0.752, 0.963]) immediately postrehydration. RT was longer for BEER (0.314 ± 0.039 s) than for LAB (0.294 ± 0.034 s, p = 0.009), but was no different from WATER (0.293 ± 0.049 s, p = 0.077). VCoPx was significantly higher for BEER (0.0284 ± 0.0020 m/s) compared with LAB (0.0233 ± 0.0010 m/s) or WATER (0.0238 ± 0.0010 m/s) (p = 0.022), but VCoPy was not different among beverages. In conclusion, rehydration with BEER resulted in higher diuresis, slower RT, and impaired VCoP than rehydration with LAB or WATER.

Effects of Operating Conditions during Low-Alcohol Beer Production by Osmotic Distillation

Osmotic distillation (OD) is a membrane technology most commonly used for liquid concentration, but recently there has been an increased interest in ethanol removal from alcoholic beverages. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of the variation of some operating conditions (temperature, flow rate, type and amount of stripping solution), specifically in regard to the effect on quality and sensory properties of the dealcoholized beers. The results indicated that temperature and flow rate variation showed no significant effect, whereas stripping solution variation had substantial effects mainly in terms of the ethanol removed. A cost appraisal showed that the operating costs were high mainly because of the cost of the stripping water. However, it is important to consider the final stripping solution, which is slightly alcoholic and enriched in flavor. For this reason, it could be reused in the manufacture of beverages, for instance as high gravity beer dilution water.

Pervaporation methodology for improving alcohol-free beer quality through aroma recovery

Two different beers, a Special beer (5.5% ABV) and a Reserve beer (6.5% ABV) were pervaporated in order to recover aromas to be added to a low-alcohol beer (less than 1% ABV) and an alcohol-free beer (less than 0.1% ABV) to improve their sensory quality. Sensory analysis confirmed that this was accomplished.Through the pervaporation process, three flavor constituents of beer (isobutyl alcohol, ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate) were analyzed in detail. Selectivities were roughly predicted by an easy model based on the Hildebrand solubility parameters for the polymer and the species in the solution. According to the model, a polymer will transmit a species almost perfectly if their solubility parameters coincide.This model helps to calculate the relative selectivities from solubility parameters and can provide guidance when choosing the membrane for specific separation requirements in food processing or other separation problems where pervaporation can be of great help.

Assessment of the aroma profiles of low-alcohol beers using HS-SPME–GC-MS

The volatile profile of low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers was compared with that of alcoholic ones. Qualitative and quantitative differences were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME–GC-MS). Fermentation compounds as esters (isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate), alcohols (1-octanol, decanol, isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol) and fatty acids (hexanoic and octanoic acid) were present in higher quantities in alcoholic beers. The low-alcohol beers were characterized by compounds derived from malt and the roasting process, including pyrazines and furanes, and volatile compounds such as linalool, β-humulene and α-terpineol derived from the essential oil of hops. Benzaldehyde, acetylpyrrole, furfural and 2-furanmethanol were characteristics of free-alcohol beers.

Beer as a Sports Drink? Manipulating Beer’s Ingredients to Replace Lost Fluid

To investigate the effect of manipulating the alcohol and sodium content of beer on fluid restoration following exercise. Seven male volunteers exercised on a cycle ergometer until 1.96 ± 0.25% body mass (mean±SD) was lost. Participants were then randomly allocated a different beer to consume on four separate occasions. Drinks included a low-alcohol beer (2.3% ABV; LightBeer), a low-alcohol beer with 25 mmol×L-1 of added sodium (LightBeer+25), a full-strength beer (4.8% ABV; Beer), or a full-strength beer with 25 mmol×L-1 of added sodium (Beer+25). Volumes consumed were equivalent to 150% of body mass loss during exercise and were consumed over a 1h period. Body mass and urine samples were obtained before and hourly for 4 hr after beverage consumption. Significantly enhanced net fluid balance was achieved following the LightBeer+25 trial (-1.02 ±0.35 kg) compared with the Beer (-1.59±0.32 kg) and Beer+25 (-1.64 ±0.28 kg) treatments. Accumulated urine output was significantly lower in the LightBeer+25 trial (1477±485 ml) compared with the Beer+25 (2101± 482 ml) and Beer (2175 ±372 ml) trials. A low alcohol beer with added sodium offers a potential compromise between a beverage with high social acceptance and one which avoids the exacerbated fluid losses observed when consuming full strength beer.

Differentiation of blonde beers according to chemical quality indicators by means of pattern recognition techniques

A study on the differentiation of three types of blonde beer, such as lager, pilsner and low-alcohol, has been carried out. Several chemical descriptors, such as chloride, phosphate, sulphate, total amino acids, total polyphenols, pH, dry extract and absorbance at 430 nm, have been selected according to their significance on the brewing process as well as their ability as quality indicators. Principal component analysis has been used to visualise data trends. Lager and low-alcohol beers appeared separated in the plane of the first two principal components, but pilsner are mixed with these two types. Linear discriminant analysis was applied in order to construct a suitable classification model. The model was validated by applying a stratified delete-a-group jackknife resampling procedure obtaining an overall prediction ability of 92.7% and a specificity of 96.3%. This work solves the classification problem with results that are comparable to those obtained in previous studies. The main advantage of the proposed model is that it is built with chemical descriptors that are considered as quality indicators in brewery, being easily determined in routine analyses by using inexpensive equipment and common procedures.

Beverage-specific alcohol intake and bone loss in older men and women: a longitudinal study

There is inconsistent evidence regarding the association between moderate alcohol consumption and bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study was to describe the associations between total and beverage-specific alcohol intake and bone loss in older men and women. A total of 862 randomly selected subjects (mean age 63 years, range 51-81, 51% men) were studied at baseline and 2 years later. BMD was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Beverage specific and total alcohol intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire. Falls risk was determined using the short form Physiological Profile Assessment. Incident fractures were ascertained by questionnaire. Total alcohol intake in men positively predicted change in BMD at the lumbar spine and hip (β=0.008% and 0.006% per year per gram, P<0.05) after adjustment for confounders, but there was no significant association between alcohol intake and change in BMD in women. Lumbar spine BMD at baseline was negatively associated with frequency of spirits/liquor drinking in men (β=-0.01 g/cm(2) per category, P=0.045) and was positively associated with frequency of beer drinking (low alcohol) in women (β=0.034 g/cm(2) per category, P=0.002). Change in lumbar spine BMD was positively associated with the frequency of red wine drinking in men (β=0.08% per year per class, P=0.046). Neither beverage-specific nor total alcohol intake was associated with falls risk or fracture. Alcohol intake especially red wine might prevent bone loss in older men but not women, whereas low-alcohol beer may be protective in women and spirits/liquor may be deleterious in men.

Alcohol-free Beer: Methods of Production, Sensorial Defects, and Healthful Effects

Beer is a universally popular beverage, consumed worldwide. Recently, the beer market is witnessing a significant increase in the consumption of low- and non-alcoholic beer. This is mainly due to health reasons, safety reasons in the workplace or on the roads, and strict social regulations. Also, there are countries where alcohol consumption is completely forbidden by law. Consumers in such conditions are willing to consume products as close as possible to the conventional types, from a sensory point of view (especially flavor characteristics). However, non-alcoholic beer suffers from artificial and dull flavor as well as improper body and foaming properties. Therefore, production of alcohol-free beer with satisfactory organoleptic characteristics that can be compared with conventional beers has recently given rise to increased technological and economic interest. In this article, methods of production of alcohol-free beer (and to some extent, low-alcohol beer), its sensory characteristics as well as its health-related aspects are reviewed.

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News and Notes

Ingesting alcohol prior to food can alter the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

There is an increasing evidence that long-term alcohol intake can promote damage to most of the body's major organs. However, regular consumption of a small-moderate amount of alcohol is often recommended as being beneficial to health and of concern is that the effect of ingesting commercially available alcohol products on steroid hormone synthesis under variable nutritional conditions has not been thoroughly investigated. Many individuals consume alcohol alone prior to a meal and the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of consuming a small-moderate amount of commercially available alcohol on the level of salivary cortisol and salivary dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) before and after a meal. A total of 24 males aged 19–22 years participated in the current investigation. The experimental procedure required participants to fast for 6 h before being asked to ingest either 40 g alcohol in the form of red wine ( n = 8), low alcohol and high beer ( n = 8), white wine ( n = 8) or the equivalent amount of placebo over a 135-min period before consuming food for 45-min. The level of blood alcohol, salivary cortisol and salivary DHEAS was assessed upon arrival and then at regular 45-min intervals during the 180-min experimental period. The results showed that the consumption of alcohol and placebo can significantly lower the level of salivary cortisol. However, the effect of consuming a small-moderate amount of commercially available alcohol on the level of salivary DHEAS was dependent on the nutritional content of the beverage with red wine promoting no change, white wine promoting a significant decrease, and beer having a variable effect on salivary DHEAS concentration when compared to placebo. It was concluded that the effect of commercially available alcohol on the HPA axis is not the same for all alcohol products and both the nutritional status of participants and the nutritional content of the alcoholic beverage being administered should be taken into consideration when investigating the effect of alcohol on the HPA axis.

Determination of purine contents of alcoholic beverages using high performance liquid chromatography

The purine contents of alcoholic beverages were determined in order to utilize them in the dietary care of gout and hyperuricemia. In the management of these diseases, restriction of both alcohol and purine intake are important. The method employed in this study is a quantitative determination of purine contents by HPLC. Alcoholic beverages were hydrolyzed to corresponding purine bases, which were then separated by HPLC, and base peaks were identified using an enzymatic peak-shift technique. This method is sufficiently accurate and reproducible to examine the purine contents of various alcoholic beverages that patients consume. Purine contents were as follows: spirits, 0.7-26.4 micromol/L; regular beer, 225.0-580.2 micromol/L; low-malt beer, 193.4-267.9 micromol/L; low-malt and low-purine beer, 13.3 micromol/L; other liquors, 13.1-818.3 micromol/L. Some local and low-alcohol beers were found to contain about 2.5 times more purines than regular beer. As some alcoholic beverages contain considerable amounts of purines, we recommend that excess consumption of these beverages be avoided. These data should be useful in the management of hyperuricemia and gout, not only for patients but also for physicians.

Low-Alcohol Beers: Contribution to Blood-Ethanol Concentration and Its Elevation above the UK Legal Limit after 'Topping-up'

The aim of this study was to establish the contribution of low-alcohol beers to blood-ethanol concentration (BEC) and to test if 'topping-up' with these beverages can increase BEC above the 80 mg/dl UK legal limit. Healthy male and female volunteers received a dose of ethanol designed to give a BEC of just below 80 mg/dl, and then received one pint (600 ml) of a 1% v/v alcohol beer in the fasting state or after lunch, or of a zero-alcohol or a 0.5% v/v alcohol beer after fasting. BEC was determined enzymatically and data were subjected to ANOVA. Topping-up with a pint of a 1% v/v alcohol beer increased BEC >80 mg/dl in fasting subjects, contributing an extra 12-17 mg/dl, which lasted longer in males (80 min) than in females (20 min). A 0.5% v/v alcohol beer increased BEC above 80 mg/dl only in males, which lasted for 60 min. After food intake, the 1% v/v alcohol beer increased BEC above 80 mg/dl transiently only in males. Low-alcohol beers make a significant contribution to blood-ethanol concentration and can increase it above the UK legal limit. Their use as a 'top-up' should be discouraged. Low-alcohol beers have a place as a substitute for normal-strength beverages as a strategy for decreasing alcohol consumption in general and in countries where low legal alcohol limits are in force or being contemplated.

Low alcohol alternatives: A promising strategy for reducing alcohol related harm

Background Less than 1% of the beer market in British Columbia comprises beers with an alcohol content below 4%, despite the success of low alcohol beers in other countries, e.g. Australia. A small experimental study is described in which male students were given either unmarked low alcohol beer (3.8%) or regular strength beer (5.3%) to investigate their enjoyment and subjective intoxication. Methods Thirty-four male students who reported drinking 5 or more beers in 1 day at least once in the last month volunteered for the study. In each drinking session, small groups of between 6 and 10 students consumed two servings of beer while playing dominoes. Each subject was his own control in the experiment by attending two group-drinking sessions, drinking a different beverage each time. The different beers were given in balanced order with half the subjects in each group drinking each type of beer. Standard measures of subjective intoxication and enjoyment were used. Blood alcohol levels were tested before, during and after drinking. Results Although significantly higher blood alcohol levels were obtained with the higher strength beer (means of 0.026 versus 0.033 mg/100 ml at the end of the study, p < 0.001), (i) most participants reported enjoying the two sessions equally or preferred the low alcohol beer session, (ii) most did not report feeling different between the two sessions and (iii) only about half correctly guessed which was the higher alcohol content beer. There was a preference, however, for the taste of the stronger beer. Conclusion We conclude beer drinkers cannot readily distinguish low and regular strength beers and can enjoy socializing equally with either. We recommend taxation strategies to create incentives for the manufacture, marketing and consumption of low alcohol alternatives.

Beer with Reduced Ethanol Content Produced Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeasts Deficient in Various Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Enzymes

J. Inst. Brew. 114(2), 97–101, 2008 A collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains deficient in the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes activities has been examined for the production of beer with reduced ethanol content. Strains deficient in fumarase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase encoded by the genes FUM1 (0.48%), KGD1 (0.42%) and KGD2 (0.48%) made non-alcoholic beers with an alcohol content lower than 0.5% (v/v). The rest of the yeast mutants also gave rise to low-alcoholic beers but with a slightly elevated ethanol concentration (mostly in the range of 0.57–0.84% and 1.64% for the lip5 mutant). Low ethanol content was compensated by the considerable increase of organic acids (citrate succinate, fumarate, and malate). In addition, some of the mutants released high levels of lactic acid (144 (fum1), 622 (kgd1) and 495 (kgd2) mg/L). Lactic acid protects beers against contamination and masks an unacceptable worty off-flavour.

Carbonated Soft Drinks and Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Case–Control Study

The increased intake of carbonated soft drinks parallels the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. To determine whether an association exists between carbonated drink intake and esophageal and cardia adenocarcinoma, we analyzed data from a Swedish nationwide, population-based, case-control study. During data collection in 1995-1997, 189 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (88% of all eligible), 262 patients with cardia adenocarcinoma (84%), and 820 control subjects (73%) were interviewed in person. All cancers were histologically classified. We calculated odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals using conditional logistic regression and multivariable analyses. Frequency of intake of carbonated soft drinks was not associated with risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma; high consumers (intake more than six times weekly) were at a statistically nonsignificantly decreased risk compared with never users (odds ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval = 0.49 to 1.64). Consumption of carbonated low-alcohol beer and combined intake of carbonated drinks were not associated with risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. No association between intake of carbonated soft drinks or low-alcohol beer and risk of cardia adenocarcinoma was observed.