MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-57-4-1119-01 | 
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Todd Krieger (1) and Jens Eiken (2). 1. DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, Wilmington, DE, U.S.A. 2. DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract
Most major brewers have identified corporate sustainability goals of reducing water consumption, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Exogenous enzymes, when added to the mash, give brewers the flexibility to use alternative raw materials to malted barley and avoid the water- and energy-intensive malting process. Life cycle assessment shows that by switching to feedstocks like sorghum or unmalted barley brewers can reduce water consumption and other environmental burdens compared with conventional malt brewing. In this study, the environmental benefits are quantified across three different markets, including France, where malt is displaced by unmalted barley; West Africa, where imported malt is displaced by local sorghum; and Argentina, where local malt is displaced by local sorghum. For each scenario from farm through the production of hot wort extract, displacing malt provides water consumption reductions of 0.86 to 1.6 L per liter of beer produced, most of which is saved at the malthouse. Non-renewable energy use is reduced by 42–56%, while greenhouse gas emissions decrease by more than 30%. While these environmental savings are associated with an assumed 80–100% displacement of malt, proportional savings would be expected at lower rates of malt substitution. Depending on the region and impact category, the environmental benefits of using exogenous enzymes and displacing malt are 30 to more than 100 times greater than the environmental burdens of making the enzymes. Since the alternative feedstocks typically provide cost savings compared with malted barley as well, using exogenous enzymes moves brewers toward a sustainable future in brewing.
