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New scientific findings on estrogenic activity of hops are being published regularly over the last three years. This article reports on the current status of research and discusses possible consequences for beer.
This article reports on the current status of research and discusses possible consequences for beer. In 1953, hormones were isolated from hops for the first time (1) though the active component was not definitively identified until 1999 (2). This compound was 8-prenylnaringenin (Fig. 1). The compound is not exclusive to hops. In 1998, it was isolated for the first time by a Japanese group from a tree species indigenous to Thailand (3). The estrogenic effect has meantime been proven in a multiplicity of tests both "in vitro" (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and "in vivo" (5, 6, 7).g. 1). 1). E.
After having dealt in an earlier paper (1) with components (bitter substances and hop oil) of hops important for the brewing process, this contribution provides a review of results of residue analysis of plant protectants. The investigation was carried out in the years 1993 - 2002 by the Augsburg office of the LGL.
Together with the USA, Germany is among the countries producing the largest quantity of hops worldwide. Both countries produce approximately equal crops, together about half world production. Located in South Bavaria, the Hallertau region is the most important hop growing area worldwide (2), accounting for more than three-quarters of German hop production. The hop plant, Humulus lupulus L., is threatened by various pests and diseases such as e.g.g.03 mg/kg.
The classical means (and only means allowed by the Purity Law) of bittering beer is by addition of hops or conventional hop products (pellets, extracts) to boiling wort. Iso-alpha-acids arise during boiling, these are the main bittering substances in beer. Should iso-alpha-acids be formed not in boiling wort but external to the brewery, one speaks of pre-isomerised hop products.
Iso-alpha-acids are formed from alpha-acids contained in hops (Fig. 1). Since 1947 when this transformation was explained chemically by Rigby, there have been efforts to have the reaction proceed under optimised conditions. When isomerising alpha-acids during wort boiling, losses of about 50% arise.e. a more cost-effective utilisation of hops. These are also classed as pre-isomerised hop products.g.
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The present paper is a detailed description of the results of an analysis of malting barley varieties in Europe. It was delivered as a lecture at the 30th International Malting Barley Seminar in October in Berlin. Almost 40% of the about 162 million tonnes of worldwide barley production is grown in Europe. Of this, about 30 million t are accounted for by spring and another 30 million t by winter malting barleys. Europe is thus the world’s largest malting barley producer and also malting barley and malt exporter.
The soil and the climate in Europe are so favourable that approximately the same amounts of spring and winter barleys can be produced in economically viable quantities.
There are regional and national differences in focus (1). 1).
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In this paper, the author presents a new method to predict lautering performance from bench scale laboratory trials. It shows that classical analyses such as friability, the number of glassy kernels or viscosity were not able to detect lautering problems. It is therefore proposed to reduce the number of malt analyses for routine checks down to three.
In the 2nd half of the 20th century barley breeding improved the enzymatic potential of malting barley and reduced markedly the b-glucan content (see Figs. 1 and 2).
At the same time new analytical methods have been introduced which are based on malt properties and can predict the quality of wort and beer.
Parallel to this development the brewing industry has modified the technology of wort production.g. 3).
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On the occasion of the 34th Technological Seminar, the author compiled research results on pharmacological effects of polyphenols and hop constituents available to-date. The studies underline the great potential and show the range of effects which may emanate from these substances.
spite the fact that research is still in its infancy, it seems to be appropriate that beers should be optimised as of now in terms of their content of polyphenols and bitter substance values, while simultaneously reducing alcohol and calorie contents.
Polyphenols and hop bitter substances have a particularly wide range of properties beneficial to human health ("secondary plant substances").
They have anti-carcinogenic properties
- Various flavonoids of hops (e.g.
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Today, production and storage of hop products largely take place under defined conditions. Special care is taken that negative influences - such as the presence of oxygen and high temperatures - on the quality are kept to a minimum. Comprehensive documentation on this topic is available (1). On the other hand, there is still little or no interest - as regards transport conditions. Temperature records during long-lasting transportation to Asian and South American countries, however, give rise to further, more intensive investigation.
The problem of excessive temperatures, to which hop pellets are sometimes exposed, has already been discussed in a previous paper (2). These results can be supplemented by the following observations and investigations."
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In the United States everything is ... well, different. This well-worn cliché contains some truth. While American brewers were busy adding up their volumes for the past year, market researchers released precise estimates just as the echo of the New Year’s fireworks had begun to fade. Whether the figures are in barrels or hectolitres, there is no denying that indi-vidual brewers in the United States have outputs which equal the production volume of whole countries. Immediately our attention is drawn to the volume produced by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis (Table 1). Oh, its output went up again to 110 million hl in 1998. It would not take much more for Anheuser-Busch to overtake single-handedly the whole of the German brewing industry.
Everybody who decides to invest in the malt industry is aware of the direct dependence on the brewing sector. In fulfilling the high quality requirements of brewers, he is also aware that he has to pay particular attention to promoting cultivation of malting barley and that, after harvesting, a very considerable amount of capital requiring financing is tied up in raw materials stocks.
Automation engineering is currently the main area where fuzzy logic is applied. Industrial processes in cement kilns or blast furnaces are controlled by fuzzy logic, as are washing machines or anti-lock systems in vehicle technology (1). This method is now being utilised in the brewhouse for lautering in the lauter tun as a result of a new development made by a major German brewery plant manufacturer.
Efforts are being made in modern brewhouse engineering to increasingly improve both equipment and process techniques of wort preparation in terms of both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Another important objective is to improve the economics of production and to ensure product uniformity. Process automation makes a significant contribution to achieving these aims.
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Brewers often refer to malt as the "soul of beer". But the collapse of prices for malting barley and malt, extending over many years, raises doubt about whether maltsters and brewers appreciate their most important raw material. Prices for malting barley have meanwhile dropped to a level where producers are seriously considering changing to economically more interesting alternatives.
In their own interest, maltsters and brewers should not close their eyes to a foreseeable possible drastic reduction of acreage under cultivation with high-value spring malting barley - as well as to the associated price increases and quality compromises.
The German Malting Barley Society sees the successes of past years as being jeopardised. Based on its statutes ("...
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