Drinks

Enzymes are widely used in the production of juices, beers and wines

Enzymes are an integral part of modern drinks production – from fruit and vegetable juices through to beers, ciders and wines. They deliver not only flexibility and excellent quality but can also help to reduce waste and carbon emissions.

Enzymes are used in a range of different applications in drinks manufacturing. They offer a broad array of properties including improved extraction, clarification, filtration and stabilisation of the drinks. In addition, enzymes allow producers to maximise production capacity and increase yields and efficiency while also reducing costs.

With today’s consumers being increasingly concerned with healthy lifestyles and natural products, enzymes can also deliver a range of functional benefits.

Optimising processes in fruit & vegetable juices and ciders

The use of enzymes offers solutions in a host of fruit and vegetable juices including apples, berries, stone fruits, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, grapes and carrots.

Pectolytic enzymes degrade pectin and reduce viscosity which aids the juicing process. They have been used in fruit and vegetable processing for many years and are the prerequisite for obtaining reasonable yields. Without enzymes, juice production on today’s industrial scale would be unthinkable.

In addition to increasing juice yields, enzymes offer a number of additional benefits in juice processing - including accelerated colour extraction, efficient clarification and filtration and improved stability of the final product. The industry has developed very specific enzyme products for every stage of the juicing process depending on the fruit or vegetable being used and the final product to be made. They enable producers to maximise processing capacity and ensure maximum speed with fresh as well as stored fruits.

Waste reduction and sustainable production are also crucial considerations for the industry. Making use of waste streams and by-products is becoming increasingly important and enzymes are the perfect tools to either extract valuable compounds or convert the waste into new, valuable products.

By using enzymes, juice manufacturers can achieve high-quality juice with great taste, colour and clarity as well as excellent nutritional value.

Ensuing great tasting, high quality beers

Brewers across the world use a range of enzymes in the brewing process to improve consistency, maximise capacity and reduce waste. The enzymes are easy-to-use and ensure quality, stability and clarity while maintaining the same taste and foam experience.

Some enzymes improve mash efficiency and separation and optimise extraction. Others shorten the filtration and maturation period and afford brewers a better yield from raw materials such as malt and barley. As the added enzymes complement those present naturally in the raw ingredients, they ensure a consistency of quality and eliminate the impact of variations in the quality of raw materials. This allows brewers to source malt and barley locally with the result that they can keep costs in check while also reducing carbon emissions.

Other enzymes – including those that are stable at high temperatures – are used in mash and cereal cooker applications and secure the efficient liquification and extraction of starches while also reducing viscosity. In addition, they improve processing efficiency – especially when processing substrates such as wheat, barley and rye.

Specific enzymes that enable gluten-free beer production and no/low alcohol options are also now available and allow great tasting beers to be targeted at people with particular dietary needs.

Using enzymes helps modern brewers to save money, enhance efficiencies and remain at the forefront of innovation.

Supporting the winemaking process

Today´s winemaking is increasingly sophisticated. Enzymes have become an essential element of oenological processes, both from a quality and cost perspective. Enzymes increase the extraction of juice from the grapes and pectolytic enzymes enable the clarification of musts and subsequently the filtration of the wine. In red wines, enzymes can also improve colour extraction and colour stability.

Enzymes can also respond to emerging consumer drinks trends and play a useful role in the cleaning of equipment such as ultrafiltration membranes in wineries.