Thursday, 6 February 2014

A List Of Brewery Sanitizer

By Marcie Goodman


A brewery sanitizer is a compound or agent used to eliminate contaminants that exist in brewery equipments. These contaminants are bacteria, germs, viruses and other microorganisms that can flourish in the wort. The normal cleaning process of using water and basic detergents cannot kill these contaminants because they are resistant to it. Failure to sanitize the equipments will lead to poor fermentation process and thus lead to poor beer flavor.

It is clear that sanitization requires much attention for the whole process to be successful. Any chance that other microorganism can dwell in the wort together with yeast should be eradicated. The wort solution is a good environment for bacteria to live and reproduce. They therefore end up spoiling the beer batch by giving it off flavors. Bacteria will not only be hidden in the fermentor but also in other brewing equipments like the funnel and siphon. Therefore, making it necessary to sanitize all items.

Several sanitizers exist for home brewers and manufactures. The most used by both types of brewers is Iodophor, which is a compound of iodized salt. The practice of using salt solution as a disinfectant has a long history in most cultures. By mixing a few ounces of iodophor with water, the resulting solution is a potent mix for bacteria and other microorganism. A salt solution interferes with cells metabolism and eventually causes death to an organism.

Various forms of alcohol act as disinfectants but the most widely used in brewing processes is Isopropyl. This solution contains more than ninety percent of alcohol and therefore it inflicts fatal damage to the bacteria cells. Isopropyl is highly combustible and therefore it is mixed with pure water to prevent any accident from happening. Large volumes of the sanitizer have to be made because the brewing equipments have to be immersed in it for several minutes.

Chlorine bleach is also a good decontaminator. It has been in use for a long time because it costs less than the rest. The normal laundry bleach will suffice as a sanitizer in brewing. It is also dissolved in water where a few milliliters are mixed with nineteen liters of water. However, chlorine is highly corrosive with other elements and therefore it should not be used as a post rinse agent.

Another effective sanitizer is moist heat that is generated inside pressure cookers or autoclaves. These apparatus employ the use of steam under pressure to exterminate all microorganisms in less than twenty minutes.

Lastly is the use of hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizing agent. It kills living contaminants by oxidizing their cell structures in about ten minutes. It is considered to be an expensive chemical therefore it is only used in simple tasks that require small volumes of it. It can be used as a rinsing substance after other sanitizers have been used.

People who have been involved in the brewing process know that selecting the best brewery sanitizer is good for business. They appreciate the fact that it can effectively influence the outcome of a good batch. Having knowing this they can easily concentrate on other brewing procedures that can make their beer taste better.




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