Certifications in the food industry

Requirements for food safety throughout the whole production chain changed considerably in recent years. In the so-called “General Regulation on Food Law” (EU Regulation No. 178/2002), the primary legal responsibility for ensuring food safety rests with the food business operator. He cannot pass on this responsibility to sub-suppliers. This overview on certifications places emphasis on the International Food Standard (IFS).

Georgia on my mind

Mention Georgia, and with a few exceptions people will first think of the American state famous for peaches, Coca-Cola’s headquarters and the peanut farmer who became president. Few would have known that there is a country by the name of Georgia. Sadly but true, it took the recent Russian-Georgian war to make sure that Georgia is now firmly on everybody’s mind.

Upon close of the transaction, all shares of Anheuser-Busch will be purchased for USD 70 per share in cash, and Anheuser-Busch will become a wholly owned subsidiary of InBev.

Successful reduction of odour emissions

Vereinsbrauerei Apolda, a brewery located in eastern Germany between Weimar and Jena, has a long-standing tradition. The company‘s history dates back to its founding in 1887. Because the brewery is situated in a valley the odour emissions from the brewing process have a stronger influence on the surroundings. This lead to increasing complaints from the neighbourhood. Now the brewery is testing a new method for odour reduction.

New whine, old battles

Being brewers, they should have known better. Mixing beer and wine is a bad idea. But, hey these were the days of Globalisation Mach I. Anything seemed possible. You got a good story? The banks got the money. Almost a decade ago, Foster’s went out on a shopping spree. Chivvied on by low interest rates and high hopes, they hoped that buying into wine would propel them to the top of the pops. And pronto. Unfortunately, their story proved too fantastic to come true. As the era of easy-dosh-globalisation draws to a close, the Foster’s Group still grapples with turning around their under-performing wine division.

InBev buys Anheuser-Busch

After a month-long pursuit that had turned increasingly hostile with both parties even enlisting the courts, InBev won over Anheuser-Busch with an all-cash offer of USD 70 per share, which values the biggest brewer in the United States at USD 52 billion. Anheuser-Busch’s CEO, August Busch IV, opposed the deal but owning less than 2 percent of Anheuser-Busch’s shares (together with his father, August Busch III) he did not have much of a choice when institutional shareholders told him they wanted to sell.

New study on isomaltulose shows remarkable results

The functional disaccharide isomaltulose (Palatinose™) was tested on its suitability as an ingredient in beer and beer specialties. It was shown that almost all of the tested beer contaminants as well as brewing yeasts were completely unable to ferment isomaltulose. Promising results were obtained regarding microbiological stability and the sensorial profile and taste of beer as well as beer specialties.

Endogenous antioxidant act ivity of beer with special emphasis on polyphenols

In order to ensure that taste stability of beer is maintained in the longer term, the objective of this project was to obtain a better understanding of antioxidant action of polyphenols in the brewing process. With support from Wissenschaftsförderung der Deutschen Brauwirtschaft [EV], this research has been supported by funds disbursed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) via the Working Group of Industrial Research Associations “Otto von Guericke” [EV] (AiF).

Pilot plant for the thermal recycling of spent grains

In Kleinheubach am Main, just a few kilometers away from the Ziemann manufacturing site in Bürgstadt, the Ziemann Group has set up an industrial scale pilot plant for the recycling of energetically relevant residue material from the brewing process. The plant is operated in collaboration with BMP Biomasse Projekt GmbH. The aim of the pilot plant is to secure process safety and reliability and also develop systems ready for production for the thermal recycling of brewing plant by-products.

New water treatment plant for Zambian breweries

Zambia, a country in Southern Africa with 11.6 Million inhabitants is world famous for the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi river and this magnificent natural feature is represented on the label of Mosi Lager brewed and packaged by Zambian Breweries, the country’s only clear beer brewery. The company not only brews Mosi but also produces several other lager brands as well as a leading range of carbonated soft drinks.