R. Beneš (1), P. BRUGGER (1); (1) Anton Paar GmbH, Graz, Austria

Poster

Light scattering depends on the shape and concentration of particles and wavelength used. Haze meters for the brewing industry use light with the wavelength of 650 nm with respect to the MEBAK definition, even if EBC and ASBC norms are mentioning light between 560 and 580 nm. Since the absorbance of beer decreases with increasing wavelength the use of red light has an advantage for haze measurement in beer. The fluorescence of dark beers, caramel malts, and sugar color was studied. It has been shown that red light at 645 nm excites the fluorescence of dark beers. The fluorescence spectra of dark beers are similar to the spectrum of caramel malt; however, the fluorescence spectrum of sugar color is different. Depending on the optical design of turbidimeters the fluorescence of dark beers may increase their apparent haze. Turbidimeters from four different manufacturers were compared with dark beers and model samples. The error caused by fluorescence can be up to 2 EBC units.

Peter Brugger was born in Munich, Germany. He attended high school in Gleisdorf, Austria. In 2006, he received an M.S. degree in electronic engineering from Technical University Graz in Styria, Austria, with a focus on biomedical engineering. He gathered experience abroad during 14 months spent volunteering his services in Nicaragua and finished his education with a master’s thesis project at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain. Since 2007 he has worked at Anton Paar as a product manager for Alcoholic Beverage Lab Analysis Systems, including modules for density, alcohol, beer color, pH, CO₂, O₂, turbidity, and high-precision temperature measurements.

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