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. Only 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.摘要 自公元前5000年苏美尔人发明啤酒以来，酒精始终是消费者关注啤酒的核心动因。直至20世纪初，无醇啤酒的市场需求才首次出现，自此这类饮品的生产技术实现了跨越式发展。无醇啤酒的生产目标是打造风味与含醇啤酒相近的产品，但常规脱醇工艺仅脱去酒精，若未同步调整酯类、高级醇与醛类的浓度配比，会因酯类与高级醇浓度偏低、醛类浓度偏高，令产品产生“麦汁感”的感官评价。无醇啤酒的制备途径主要包括：限制发酵过程中酒精的生成、使用可消耗或不产酒精的特殊酵母菌株、热力脱醇以及膜分离脱醇工艺。经膜分离工艺制备的无醇啤酒，能够保留更多啤酒香气的天然组分，其风味通常优于其他工艺所得产品。渗透汽化技术应用场景广泛，甚至可与其他工艺结合，用于脱除不良产物，或是分离回收芳香物质。