The dark beer has more iron than the blonde.
-a team of researchers from the University of Valladolid has analyzed 40 brands of beer and found black beers are more free iron than the blondes and the alcoholic. Iron, as well as being an essential element in the human diet, helps to oxidize organic compounds that give stability and flavour to these drinks
Spain, 2011-August black beers contain an average amount of iron free of 121 ppb (parts per billion) versus the 92 ppb of the blondes and the 63 ppb of the alcohol-freeAccording to an analysis of 40 types of beer from all five continents, carried out by researchers at the University of Valladolid (UVa).
Although it’s very small amounts, the variations are clear and could be the result of processes of production or of the raw material used during the manufacturing ”, pointing to SINC Carlos Blanco, the area of food technology in the UVa Professor and co-author of the work.
The study, which publishes the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, said that extracts from malta and hops used specifically in the manufacture of black beer could explain their highest levels in iron.
However, the blonde beer production makes a filtering with ‘ diatomite ’ (sedimentary rock with microalgae used to clarify the drink), a porous material that traps the metal and reduced their concentrations.
For beers without alcohol evaporation processes are applied to vacuum to remove alcohol. This operation also favors the Elimination of iron ions by the trawlers engaged in volatile molecules.
Black beers contain 121 ppb of iron free with the 92 ppb of blondes.
To carry out the work have been analysed 17 brands of beer produced in Spain and 23 other countries. In particular 28 Blondes, six black and many others without alcohol. Containing as much iron has been a Spanish black beer (165 ppb) and other Mexican (130 ppb), and that less, two without alcohol from Holland and Ireland (41 and 47 ppb respectively).
Determination of iron and other metals in the beer is relevant not only for being essential elements for the human body, also for his involvement in the preparation of the drink. The concentrations of metals can determine its organoleptic characteristics, stability and quality.
With this work the researchers have validated the technique have been developed to analyze the iron (called ‘ cyclic voltammetry differential pulse adsortiva ’), a method ultrasensitive, selective, fast, reliable and cheap ”. Recently the team has also applied for the first time a electronic language ” to quantify the degree of bitterness and alcohol in the beer.
Bibliographic references:
Sancho, Daniel; White, Charles A..; Knight, Elizabeth; Pascual, Ana. “Free iron in pale, dark and alcohol-free lager beers commercial”. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 91 (6): 1142-7, April of 2011. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.4298.
