80. Non-invasive, selective measurement for CO2 in package expands brewers’ quality control toolbox
Roland Folz (1); (1) Pentair, Delavan, WI, U.S.A.
Analytical
Poster
Brewers, carbonated soft drink manufacturers, and sparkling wine
makers have long sought a non-invasive option to measure packaged
bottles in order to determine changes within a package during shelf
life. This capability provides analytical value for selecting/changing
package material (layer technology in crown closures, polymeric
packaging, lighter weight packaging, etc.) and also enhances quality
assurance for the rising trend of corked bottles and secondary bottled
fermentation. The newly introduced technique has been validated by
several independent brewing institutes and against the reference method
of Blom and Lund. Using a laser that beams through the bottle, the CO2 molecules in the headspace absorb the infrared light, which means the measurement is selective for CO2
and does not take foreign gases into account when the measurement is
calculated. The result of the measurement is based on the width of the
absorption lines (related to the total pressure) and its intensity
(related to the concentration of the CO2). The results of the development and validation program will be shared, and field studies will be presented.
Roland Folz is the senior director of innovation and strategy for
Pentair’s Food & Beverage Division. Since February 2014, Roland has
been responsible for innovation, product design, solutions development,
and global R&D function. Roland has 18 years of experience in the
brewing and beverage industries. Prior to joining Pentair, he headed the
VLB Department of Brewing & Beverage Science and Applications
(BBSA) located in Berlin, Germany. With his team of experienced
engineers at VLB-Berlin, Roland has worked on sustainable developments
for the beverage industry, future beverage streams and fermentation and
applied microbiological concepts and control mechanisms. Under his
leadership, VLB has become an internationally respected provider of
mission-oriented research and solutions regarding technological topics,
global consultancies and international training courses. Roland started
his career in the brewing industry with a technical apprenticeship as a
brewer and maltster at Beck’s Brewery, culminating with his doctorate
degree with a thesis on the flavor stability of beer in PET bottles. He
has served as the technical director for Germany-based Preussen Pils
Brewery and plant manager for the Oettinger Group. Roland serves as the
international director on the ASBC Board of Directors. In addition, he
is an active member of the ISBT and the MBAA. Roland holds a Ph.D.
degree in engineering technology and a diploma in brewing technology
from the Technical University Berlin, Germany.
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