Effect of β-Glucans and Process Conditions on the Membrane Filtration Performance of Beer

摘要

An extended filtration test with 0.45-μm membranes was employed in this study to investigate the influence of β-glucan polymers, shearing, pH, ethanol content, and storage time on beer filterability. Results indicated that the presence of β-glucans caused lower beer filterability. The maximum amount of beer filtered through a membrane filter (V_(max)) and the initial filtration rate (Q_(init)) decreased with the addition of higher β-glucan molecular weight at higher concentrations..Shearing beer at 0-10℃ resulted in lower V_(max) and Q_(init) values. Higher pH values were found to improve beer filterability. Compared with nonalcohol beer samples, beers containing 5 and 10% (v/v) of ethanol showed lower Q_(init) and higher V_(max) values. However, the addition of ethanol at 5 and 10% (v/v) decreased the relative V_(max) (%) value of beer samples containing β-glucans compared with β-glucan-free beers. Filtration tests also suggested that a cold storage at 4℃ for two weeks did not affect filterability in β-glucan treated beers.