Sales of beer from Bavarian breweries fell in the first half of 2009 by 4.1 %, but over the same period sales of alcohol-free beer rose by 9 %. In Bavaria, of all places, the home of beer! Are we seeing a kind of cultural revolution? Well, yes, in a way, because alcohol-free beer reflects the current zeitgeist, and it is also the only bitter-tasting sports drink!
 
Alcohol-free beer is low in calories, isotonic, has an almost perfect spectrum of complex sport sugars, amino acids and minerals, and is more than 90 percent pure water – from a sportsperson´s point of view, it´s the ideal drink for regeneration and rehydration. The only thing to watch is the high potassium content, which can have a diuretic effect if sodium intake is too low. So, a salty pretzel with an alcohol-free beer is a great way to unwind after an energetic training session or competition. The same is true for other sports drinks, too – a pinch of salt in the drinking bottle is a good idea and an important point.
 
But there are other reasons why alcohol-free beer is recommended as a sports drink: it is kind to the stomach and has a comparatively high pH value, combined with a moderate carbonic acid content. Then there´s the hop itself, of course, which has a relaxing and therefore restorative effect. And not least bitter beverages can be consumed in higher quantities. All of this supports the actual main purpose of a sports drink – to provide the body with water and nutrients.
 
There are two ways of producing these sporting wonders: One is to remove the alcohol from the fermented beer. For this distillation or membrane processes are used that work at a low temperature. This method achieves beers which have zero-percent alcohol. The second way is interrupted fermentation, in which the brewer only allows the beer to reach the minimum permissible quantity of alcohol.
 
Whatever production method is used, however, one thing is always clear: no alcohol-free beer can ever taste just like the original with alcohol. But then again, why should it, because it isn´t trying to be just a copy, but a unique product in its own right. It is the only bitter alternative in the whole spectrum of sweet sports and soft drinks.
 
The taste of beer is certainly one of the themes at drinktec 2009 – in the tasting sessions with Karl Schiffner, World Champion Beer Sommelier (on 15, 16 and 17 September, from 11.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 5.30 p.m. in the drinktec Lounge in Hall B1) and in the lectures in Forum 2 in Hall B1. There, one of the theme blocks on Wednesday, 16 September, focuses on 'News for the brewing process'.
 
Further information on this topic and on raw materials and ingredients in general is available from the following exhibitors (and others) at drinktec 2009:
Döhler (B2.302), Wild (B1.101), Weyermann® Specialty Malts (B1.503), Global Malt (B1.500), BENEO-PALATINIT (B1.325-1), Barth & Sohn (B1.312).

Environmentally conscious consumers like to buy organic. Preferably also in organic packaging. Not least because, as we all know, the plastics used today all come from the same source, and one that sooner or later is going to dry up – crude oil. For this reason, the packaging sector is moving more towards renewable materials.
 
The market for organic plastics, made from renewable resources like wheat, maize or sugar cane, is growing annually by 20 to 30 percent. Already we are seeing the first organic containers for non-carbonated drinks and for the processing of liquid foods. The main material to mention here is polylactic acid (PLA), as its properties are like those of PET. As a result PLA has tremendous growth potential, because in 2009 alone no less than 350 billion PET containers will be produced worldwide. Just to what extent PLA could challenge the dominant PET will be explored at drinktec at the 2nd PLA Bottle Conference, on 14 and 15 September.
 
The second big market, alongside containers, is in packaging foils. Here, too, there are some interesting new developments: In an EU research project, for example, new-style flexible papers with a multilayer structure are being developed entirely out of renewable resources. The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, of Freising, is delivering special techniques which improve the barrier properties (to water vapour and oyygen) of the pre-coated paper. Antimicrobial coatings are also being worked on. In one of these materials whey protein is being used – to give the foil excellent barrier properties against oxygen and moisture. In addition the antimicrobial constituents naturally found in whey are being exploited to extend the length of time foods can stay fresh.
 
To conclude, an important point: Many organic plastics are regarded as compostible, but this is only true to a certain extent. Most of them rot down very slowly, or need to be heated to fully decompose – and that of course counts against them in an eco-audit. In any case, these materials are far too valuable for them to be only used once. Recycling is and will continue to be the next big area for the future. Anyone who wants to know what is possible in this area, now and in the future, will be heading for one place only in September – to drinktec 2009 in Munich.

Further information on the subject of packaging materials and foils is available from the following exhibitors (and others) at drinktec 2009:
Krones (B6.100), KHS (B4.333), CCL Label GmbH (B5.424), Händler & Natermann (B5.436), Husky Injection Molding Systems (B3.502)

The worldwide reserves of crude oil, natural gas and uranium are predicted to run out in just a few decades. Only coal is set to last centuries. Beverage and food manufacturers, too, with their energy-intensive products, are having to look around for alternative sources of energy. Within this energy mix of the future, the sun will play a key role.
 
Making use of the sun as a permanent supplier of energy makes economic sense, even in countries like Germany. This is already being seen in modern housing construction, where the emphasis is on first reducing heating demand, and then covering the remaining demand through solar-thermal systems.
 
The same process applies to industrial use. Particularly when the latest collector technology is installed. A modern collector, set up in Würzburg for example, yields around 400 kWh/m²a and delivers process water at 140°C. The flat-plate collectors generally used in residential construction deliver around 200 kWh/m²a and hot water at a maximum of around 70°C. This hot process water is stored in an insulated tank and used for individual 'consumers' (mash tun, bottle-washing machine). Around 50 percent of the total annual demand for thermal energy – even of a brewery, where a lot of boiling goes on – can be met with the help of the sun.
 
One obvious and very sensible use of solar energy is to produce process cold. This can be done by means of absorption cooling systems operating on hot water generated by solar-thermal collectors. Some are familiar with this type of chiller from camping fridges that operate on a gas flame.
 
But what happens when the sun isn´t shining? Even then solar is still the answer. Because locally sourced wood chippings and the biogas obtained from biomass are nothing else but stored solar energy. And they can be transformed into process heat at any time. Just how this can be done sustainably is something that visitors to drinktec 2009 can find out for themselves, for example, in a series of lectures on 'Resource – Water' in the forum programme.
 
Further information on this subject is available from the following exhibitors (and others) at drinktec 2009:
KRONES, Loos (both B6.100)

In the science-fiction film Minority Report, Steven Spielberg had Cornflakes packets with printed cartoon films playing on them. Although this particular vision is still a long way off – the film is set in 2054, the technology to make this kind of thing happen is already within reach.
 
'Smart packaging', which provides additional information to consumers in different languages, can read out instruction leaflets to visually-handicapped people, or play an advertising spot on printed foil monitors. Already the road to achieving this kind of electronic wizardry is mapped out. The key is intelligent ink. The strip conductors and components are made of organic polymers which are dissolved in a liquid phase, making them processible on a kind of inkjet printer.
 
The declared aim of the developers here is to be able to offer such a chip for use in the mass segments of the beverages industry, at a price of under one cent. Within just a few years this should be a reality. These printed RFID labels will then be able to monitor temperature accurately all the time and store and transfer data. And it´s not only this kind of passive data storage that is at the threshold of large-scale industrial manufacture, so, too, are active electronic circuits made up of transistors, resistors, LEDs and capacitors also manufactured with inkjet printers. One idea is even to supply energy from printed batteries or solar cells. That is the key to animated images or advertising jingles.
 
Printed electronics is opening up fascinating new potential: According to a report by market researchers NanoMarket, the market volume in electronic inks and substrates used in the manufacture of printed electronics, will rise from 1.1 billion dollars in 2008 to over 11.5 billion by 2015. And if visions can be valued in money, this shows one thing quite clearly: the smart future is already well under way.
 
Just what innovations are in store in the global packaging market can be seen from 14 September at drinktec 2009 in Munich, the world´s No. 1 fair for beverages and liquid food technology.
 
Further information on the subject of smart packages is available from the following exhibitors (and others) at drinktec 2009:
Krones (B6.100), KHS (B4.333), Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH (B5.426), RFID Anwenderzentrum München (A2.419)

Does your beer smell of bananas, cloves or liquorice? Yes? Don’t worry – you can trust your nose, because precisely these nuances can be smelled and tasted in the finished product by everyone. Guaranteed. So get to know one of the most multi-faceted beverages in the world. At drinktec. With a world champion.

We start this sensory journey with the essence of any of these beers – malt. The rule here is that the more malt that is dissolved in the brewing liquor, the higher the wort content, which gives a fuller flavour. Malt also brings colour and very special aromas into play, ranging from a sweet caramel note, reminiscent of block malt, to roasted aromas such as liquorice, chocolate and coffee.

Hops also offer real variety, because the ‘green gold’ has long been used to create more than just bitter flavours. There is a great difference between what are known as bitter hops and aroma hops. In the case of bitter varieties the hop flower in the beer tends to be subtle, although the ‘perceived’ bitter flavour is much stronger than with an aroma hop. By contrast, beer made using aroma hops smells fresh and spicy, sometimes even with citrus aromas, and the bitter flavour is pleasantly mellow.

The final component providing the aroma is yeast, both bottom-fermented and top-fermenting strains. Wheat beers, which smell either of cloves or ripe bananas, are typical results of top-fermenting yeasts. Bottom-fermented yeasts tend to provide less strong aromas, which are the optimal platform for hoppy beers, for example. But once again the exception proves the rule. After long storage bottom-fermented strong beers acquire fruit notes such as apple or blackberry.

In short: just give beer tasting a go, the experience is well worth it with around 8,000 ingredients to discover. By way of comparison – red wine has ‘only’ 1,200. The ideal platform for entering this fascinating world is drinktec 2009, because as well as outstanding technologies, it also offers sensory seminars with none other than Karl Schiffner, the current world champion beer sommelier. These seminars are taking place on 15, 16 und 17 September from 11.30 am to 2.00 pm and from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm in the drinktec lounge in Hall B1.

ESL milk has already pushed the fresh milk we know so well off many refrigerator shelves. Some people say that this is a clear signal that consumers are accepting the milk. Others disagree, saying that the retail trade and industry are just using ESL to optimise their margins. But what’s the real story ?
 
ESL stands for ‘Extended Shelf Live’. The fact is that the shelf life of an ESL milk in the refrigerator is around three weeks, while conventionally pasteurised fresh milk usually goes off after a week. Bacterial spores are responsible for this, as they are not destroyed in traditional pasteurisation conditions and tend to germinate sooner rather than later. ESL reduces these bacterial spores and so extends the shelf life. In very different ways.

The most common process is VTIS, in which the milk is heated to 127 degrees in fractions of seconds using steam injection and stays at this temperature for around two seconds. For comparison, in pasteurisation the milk is heated to 72 to 75 degrees for 30 seconds. And in the case of longlife milk, with its distinctive boiled taste, it is three seconds at 150 degrees.

The two other processes focus on mechanically separating the bacteria and spores using membrane filtration or centrifugation. Here too individual fractions of the milk are heated longer for safety reasons, but as these amounts are so small, no boiled taste is transmitted to the end product.

It has been proven that none of these three ESL processes substantially alter the nutritional value of the milk. The same is true of the taste, because the thermal load to which ESL milk is subjected to is not much greater than in conventional pasteurisation. When it comes to quality the longer shelf life is much more important: for example many vitamins are very light-sensitive, so the amount of light to which milk is subjected during the initial milking process on the farm, then during processing in the dairy and later when being stored in the kitchen has more effect on the product quality than the ESL process itself.

By the way: the technological answers to these and all other current trends in the production and filling of milk products are being displayed at drinktec 2009 in Munich.
 
Further information on this topic is available from a number of drinktec 2009 exhibitors, including:
GEA Westfalia Separator (A4.314), Krones (B6.100), KHS (B4.333)

If the label and/or packaging does not win the consumer over in the blink of an eye, the product stays on the shelf, as people make instant decisions. The trick is to convey information quickly, both through the printed word and in a more subtle way based on feelings, using colours.
 
Colour is used in a targeted way as an information carrier in label and packaging design. It should transport a message to the recipient in the communication process, making it come alive, and linking it to a pleasant emotion. For example, shades of green and blue combined with grey or black lend themselves well to communicating reliability and safety. By contrast, strong shades of red and yellow grab people’s attention. White stands for freshness, plus it makes labels and packaging look bigger or more voluminous.
 
There are also factors which are not connected to the selected shade but which transmit additional messages, for example bright colours are light and friendly, while dark colours are gloomy; clean, saturated colours have a dominant effect and desaturated colours give a subdued effect; delicate colours convey the impression of sensitivity, warm colours create closeness, cold colours create distance, single colours create order and clarity and many colours together are confusing.
 
In addition the colour must suit the target group. The colours that appeal to young skaters are different to the ones that will win over wellness-oriented ‘best agers’. It is therefore important that both the colours and the message are coherent to the recipient and suit the brand and its manufacturer, or the product will not appear credible, giving rise to mistrust. And then that product will definitely stay on the shelf. For this reason, before every creative decision, all those involved should at all costs recall the two golden rules of packaging design, which are: less is more, and as much as possible usually helps very little.
 
Anyone wanting to know which other basic rules still apply in the world of beverage and liquid food technology packaging should on no account miss drinktec 2009.
 
Further information on this topic is available from a number of drinktec 2009 exhibitors, including:
CCL Label GmbH (B5.424), Krones (B6.100), KHS (B4.333), Töpfer Kulmbach GmbH (B5.426)

For a long time it has not been enough for consumers that a product tastes pleasantly sweet. As sport, health and the issue of obesity become increasingly important, consumers are looking ever more closely at the physiological effect of sweetening ingredients. The beverage industry must take up this complex challenge, using both sugars and sweeteners.
 
High-glycaemic glucose gets quickly into the bloodstream, but leads to a high level of insulin release. The result is sudden hypoglycaemia with bouts of ravenous hunger. Using this argument, sugars with a low glycaemic index (GI) are increasingly in demand today in dietary and sports circles. These are characterised by slow, steady absorption into the body, which has little effect on the insulin level and provides a feeling of being full for longer. In addition current studies show that some low glycaemic sugars promote fat burning, so that is easier to mobilise the energy from the body’s own fat. And this slower utilization is sometimes also considered to lead to less tooth decay.
 
A second trend is combining different carbohydrates which, depending on the level of exertion, provide the ideal energy mix for the body – from quickly available to long lasting. Another major topic is of course sweetness with no calories at all. One of the hottest potatoes in the sweetener industry at the moment is stevia, a South-American plant which promises unbelievable natural sweetness. Its dried leaves and the powder obtained from them are 15 to 30 times sweeter than sugar, and instead of calories they have numerous trace elements – plus the substance does not attack teeth. The sweetness comes from the element group stevioside, which makes up ten percent of the leaf content. A powder 250 times sweeter than sugar can be extracted from the leaves.
 
However, unlike Japan, Australia and Switzerland, stevia has not yet been approved in the EU. The licensing process is underway but cannot be concluded before 2010/11 at the earliest, so those with a sweet tooth will have to be patient. Sweet alternatives that are ideal to use until then are being displayed at drinktec by companies including Tate&Lyle and Beneo-Palatinit – key word sweetening concepts.
 
Further information on this topic is available from a number of drinktec 2009 exhibitors, including:
Tate&Lyle (B1.325-1), BENEO-PALATINIT (B1.325-2), Döhler (B2.302), Wild (B1.101)