Processes for alcohol-free beer production: a review

Abstract

Since the invention of beer by the Sumerian people in 5000 BC, alcohol was the main reason of the interest of consumers on beer. Dnly in the beginning of the 20th century alcohol-free beer was demanded and since then technology has advanced dramatically in the production of those beverages. The aim on alcohol-free beer production is to have products that taste similarly to their alcoholic equivalents, the sole absence of alcohol and low concentrations of esters and higher alcohols and the higher concentration of aldehydes create a "worty" organoleptic impression of those products. Alcohol-free beers can be obtained by the restriction of alcohol formation during fermentation, the use of special yeast strains that consume or don't produce alcohol, the thermal removal of alcohol and by the removal of alcohol trough membrane processes. Membrane separated alcohol-free beers preserve more of the natural constituents of beer aroma and those products usually taste better than those obtained through other processes. Pervaporation techniques show a broad spectrum of use and can even be combined with other processes and perform the removal of undesired products or separation and recuperation of aromatic substances.

Non-Alcoholic and Craft Beer Production and Challenges

“…This method offers a production capacity of 4-200 hL of alcohol-free beer per hour with less than 0.05% ABV. Moreover, the alcohol vapors obtained as a by-product can be capitalized, per se, for vinegar production through acetification [33].…”

“…The vapors removed from the beer rise through the center of the cone and enter an exhaust pipe that transfers them to an external condenser. The Centritherm evaporators are designed with 1-12 hollow cones, which correspond to production capacities of NAB from 0.5 to 100 hL/h, respectively, allowing the production of beer having an alcohol content below 0.05% v/v when a rectifying column is coupled to the evaporator [33,42]. The disadvantages of this process are the high energy costs and the need to install an additional evaporator in the plant.…”

“…The pervaporation process utilizes selective semipermeable membranes to separate alcohol through diffusion in its gas phase at low temperatures. The difference in chemical potential of the separated fluids generate displacement of alcohol molecules and permeate the membrane in the direction from the highest alcoholic concentration to the lowest [33].…”

“…These production methods operate with the same equipment available in a traditional brewery, but they require accurate and swift analytical control [32,42]. The disadvantages of these methods are triggered by the fact that limited fermentation time and inadequate conversion of wort to beer might result in a final product deficient in aromatic compounds but with a powerful wort characteristic [33,79]. Researches show that for both arrested or limited fermentation processes, an initial gravity from 4.0 to 7.5 wt.…”

“…In Germany, the USA, and in China, this limit is no more than 0.5% v/v; in Spain, the maximum value is 1% v/v alcohol; while in France, is of 1.2% v/v alcohol [32]. In Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where alcohol consumption is prohibited by law, non-alcoholic beers (NABs) contain less than 0.5% v/v alcohol and represent an alternative to other non-alcoholic beverages because these provide some of the main bioactive components of traditional beer [33].…”