For many people, there’s nothing quite so refreshing as consuming their favorite brewed beverage. But on the other side of this simple pleasure lies the incredibly complex process of pasteurization. Pasteurization may seem like the most straightforward part of creating a winning brew. But industry veterans and experts know otherwise. Not only is pasteurization among the most mission-critical and technically demanding of challenges, it’s also the thing that can potentially make or break a brewery.
The reason?
The pasteurization process is often plagued by errors and inefficiencies that impact breweries’ bottom line and prevent successful scaling. This is why brewery teams, brewery operators, and R&D departments need to understand the science of pasteurization and the role of real-time, precision monitoring.
Pasteurization: A Brief Overview
Pasteurization is a process that involves heating a beverage to a precise temperature for a precise duration. The reason for pasteurization is twofold. First, it eliminates harmful microorganisms that may pose safety hazards to consumers, Second, it preserves the physical stability (longevity) and flavor of the product.
Pasteurization is measured in terms of Pasteurization Units (PUs), which represent the degree of microorganism death that occurs during the process. To guarantee complete pasteurization, a specific amount of Pasteurization Units (PUs) must be added to the product without exceeding a specified limit. The required number of PUs can vary according to the characteristics of the brew in question, further complicating the pasteurization process.
Means and Methods
Advanced tunnel pasteurization systems, the technology of choice for breweries, are equipped with complex control mechanisms designed to regulate pasteurization temperatures. In beer manufacturing, the tunnel pasteurization process unfolds in five steps.
- Units of beer are filled and passed through a stainless-steel tunnel.
- Hot water is sprayed onto the units.
- The units are slowly conveyed through the tunnel to expose the contents to precise temperature zones.
- The contents of the units are held at specified temperatures for specified durations.
- The contents are gradually returned to room temperature to result in a finished product.
Although this may sound fairly straightforward and deceptively simple, the pasteurization process is filled with confounding variables.
The Cold Spot
One of the most confounding variables in successful pasteurization is the “cold spot” — the portion of the brew (usually near the bottom of the can or bottle) that is colder than the portion around it. The cold spot must reach at least 140°F and be held at this temperature long enough to achieve the proper number of PUs. But here’s the catch. Although the temperature of the cold spot must be raised, the temperature of the product surrounding it must remain fairly stable.
By way of an analogy, imagine there was a room in your house that had a cold spot. While it’s easy enough to eliminate it by turning on your heating system, the problem is that the temperature will increase in the entire room, not just the cold spot. To achieve an even temperature, you’d have to be slow, technical, and incredibly precise about how you raised and lowered the heat in different areas of the room. You’d also have to be extremely strategic about the speed at which you introduced these temperature changes. In principle, this is essentially how a brew is successfully pasteurized, by methodically adjusting the temperature in different zones of the product to achieve a more or less uniform consistency within a very narrow margin.
The Plot Thickens
Eliminating the cold spot and achieving temperature uniformity is itself a daunting challenge, but there are additional variables that greatly complicate the equation. A large number of breweries continue to operate with legacy pasteurizers that depend on irregular manual measurements taken by shop floor operators. The production and time constraints of this method preclude real-time PU monitoring and the precision, accuracy, and control needed for achieving zero-error results. Without real-time precision monitoring systems, process errors and inefficiencies are simply unavoidable. The result is system downtime, disrupted workflows, resource waste, and sunk costs.
The Need for Real-Time Precision Monitoring
Once the complex science of pasteurization is understood and the adverse impacts of legacy systems are appreciated, the need for real-time, precision process monitoring technologies becomes clear. By leveraging the power of Industry 4.0, AI, machine learning, precision sensor technology, predictive analytics, and wireless protocols, breweries can achieve zero-error results, radically reduce inefficiencies, and increase ROI.
The SCOUT + COMMANDER is the industry’s premier, real-time precision pasteurization monitoring solution. With advanced modeling, detection, inspection, and predictive techniques, it represents an AI-powered solution for equipment, resource, and energy optimization. Using simple, easy-to-deploy, microservice-oriented architecture, teams can easily configure and customize machine, data acquisition, and preprocessing methodology. With live dashboard monitoring of process parameters, teams can convert raw data into actionable insights for getting the numbers they need. And with seamless integration into existing QA systems and workflows, it’s a truly plug-and-play solution that enables teams to stop fighting fires and focus instead on revenue-generating activities.
The Unrivaled Industry Leader
Forged from decades of industry-leading experience, an elite pedigree of NASA-trained engineers, and a veteran-owned, TOPGUN mission-critical focus, SCOUT + COMMANDER is the unrivaled industry solution for cutting through complexity, streamlining workflows, and maximizing operational efficiencies. If you’d like to learn more about how this innovative tool can help you drive cost savings and successfully scale, get in touch with us today for a free demo.
We look forward to partnering with you!
