Influencing the organic acid profile of beer by application of adsorbent materials

Recent publications highlight the effect of succinic acid and malic acid from alcoholic fermentation products on stomach acidity, which affects drinkability. To date, scientific information on how to reduce succinic and malic acid concentrations in beer is scarce. In order to make advances in this field, four different adsorbent materials were tested for their ability to reduce the content of these C-4-dicarboxylic acids without harming product quality. Of these four materials, one showed a much higher absorbent capacity, and succinic and malic acids were reduced below their detection limits. Alongside a slight reduction in beer colour, a strong effect on the pH value of the treated beer was observed. Negative sensorial impacts of this increase in pH could be simply reversed by acidification of the treated beer. Further effects on foam and non-biological stability were not observed, even though treatment reduced the total nitrogen and polyphenol content of the beer. The adsorbent material was regenerated for 10cycles without any loss of capacity. The results indicate that, by applying this research outcome, the production of beer with a concentration of succinic and malic acids below their detection limit is possible without harming the beer's quality. This information will be helpful in the future for brewers who wish to focus on low succinic and malic acid levels as a key indicator for an ingestive drinkability effect. Copyright (c) 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling