Quality assurance

Quality assurance in beverage operations

Product quality | Whether generally referred to as quality assurance (QA) or quality management (QM), it is the same thing. Who has to make sure or what has to be made sure that, during operational control, everything proceeds without errors and risks in manufacturing products, from raw materials to production up until the end of the best before date (BBD)?

Brewhouse

Anomaly detection in the brewhouse

TUM research | The collaboration between the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology (BGT) at Technical University of Munich (TUM) Weihenstephan and Siemens highlights an advancement in integrating modern technologies into the brewing industry. Siemens ‘Anomaly Detection’, an artificial intelligence-based tool for detecting abnormal behavior in production lines, has been applied at the chair’s research brewery to evaluate its effectiveness for process monitoring and quality control in a brewhouse. This article outlines the implementation, functionality, and advantages of anomaly detection within brewing processes, as well as specific issues it has helped identify and address.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance of alcohol-free beers

Maltose-negative yeasts | Non-alcoholic beers are so very on trend at the moment that SMEs are thinking about moving in this direction and producing their own alcohol-free variants. To assist such companies with the quality assurance of what are for them new products, this article takes a more detailed look at the CDR BeerLab device for chemical-technical analysis and Lars Peuker’s microbiological solutions.

Quality assurance

Trusting sensory findings?

Beer tasting | Sensory findings are rapidly available as eating and drinking are long practiced skills. And then one’s own opinion has to be added. Depending on where a result obtained in this manner is applied, investments in a new product may be made or defective batches released – resulting in product recalls in the worst case.

Quality assurance

Ventilation technology in the new brewery cellar

Air conditioning | The oldest brewery in the world, the Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, is gradually investing in the modernization of its brewery on the Weihenstephaner Berg in Freising, Germany. Most recently, a new brewing cellar was inaugurated after just 1.5 years of construction. The ventilation technology used had to meet specific requirements. For the construction of this combined cellar, the company relied on the experts from Kiefer Klimatechnik.

Fermentation/Maturation

Phenolic beer aroma compounds – off-flavour or aroma-defining?

Quality assurance | Phenolic aroma compounds can significantly impact the aroma profile of beverages. Depending on beer style and consumer expectations, they are regarded both as valuable aroma compounds as well as off-flavours. The latter case is referred to as phenolic off-flavour (POF).

Quality assurance

Food certification systems as a contribution to risk management

Food safety | Breweries that want to trade nationally with private label products and at international level with brand-name goods or handle sub-processes for other companies need certification according to a food safety standard as their entrance ticket. Food certification systems help companies to comply with legal regulations and meet customer-specific requirements. At the same time, they can also be used as strategic tools to improve corporate processes and minimise risk.

Quality assurance

The joys of sampling

Decision-making tool | Choosing the right sampling device and opting for a specific sampling system depend on a number of different factors. These can vary depending on the area of application and respective requirements. This article examines the key criteria for sampling systematically and in detail.

Quality assurance

The view from above

Inspection | When inspecting empty bottles, one of the key factors is the perspective. The view “from above” of the bottle neck or into the container is particularly important for many applications.

The miho Vidios® SC operating system has been extended with a Top-Cam family. This product family currently includes eight models. With a multitude of camera-lighting-systems, these are assigned for particular purpose

Quality assurance

Statistical analysis of beer-spoilage microorganisms in 2024

Most frequent beer spoilers | Analysis of findings at the Research Centre Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality, TU Munich (TUM FZW BLQ) about beer-spoiling microorganisms provides a good overview of the status quo, distribution, seasonality and frequency of beer-spoilers.

Quality assurance

Microbiology, anything but easy

Much can be achieved | Microbiology does not follow textbooks – and certainly not what we would like it to be. Biology involves evolution, adaptation and sometimes sheer luck. “That’s simply impossible. I would really like to detonate this operation.” This or similar statements are sometimes made by owners, managers or brewmasters when they are standing with their backs to the wall. This is mostly caused by microbiological problems in the finished product.