The Beer Freshness Package is the result of collaboration between FlavorActiv and Bruker. The package is the only established way of determining how parameters in operations, materials and process design can positively or negatively impact beer quality and freshness during the beer production process.
Beer freshness can be impacted by oxidative stalling, which progresses via free radical chemistry. If trace amounts of transition metals such as copper or iron are present during storage of the beer they can catalyze oxygen to convert it into a reactive oxygen species (ROSs).
A key ROS is the hydroxyl free radical which can quickly react with beer molecules to form more free radicals, these free radicals then participate in chain reactions to form carbonyl molecules (ketones and aldehydes) which give the beer a flavor that is often compared to cardboard.
The presence of antioxidants in beer can suppress the formation of free radicals, though over time the oxidation process is inevitable. Free radical formation can be kept to a minimum by improving storage conditions and the brewing process to encourage a high antioxidant level in packaged beer.
The EPR oxidation profile of a beer is an analytical method of determining the antioxidant status of a beer throughout the production process. This allows beer producers to predict the shelf life of beer prior to packing and distribution.
The information provided by the EPR profile allows beer producers to improve their production methods and take corrective steps where they are needed to guarantee a fresh and stable product.
The Beer Freshness Package has been improved to include the microESR benchtop system from Bruker along with applications training, custom reagents, technical support and GMP Flavor Standards.