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Furfural: Freshness Indicator of Beer (and other beverages and foods)!

Beer is one of the most widely consumed alcoholic beverages in the world. The flavour of each brand is one of its most relevant quality standards. However, depending on the beer type and its storage conditions, such flavour may be altered as a result of changes in the chemical composition produced during beer that, unlike what occurs in wines, has a negative effect on the quality of the flavour.

Editor’s Comment:  “Furfural gives flavour to our drinks and food!” (see below: Related Articles)

Now, a team of chemists, led by the researchers Elena Benito-Peña and María Cruz Moreno-Bondi from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), has developed a simple, low-cost method capable of measuring whether or not beer has gone stale, simply by using a sensor and a smartphone app. The results of the study have been published in the Journal Analytical Chemistry.

Elena Benito-Peña explains to SINC that this development forms part of an INNPACTO project of the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness, in which the UCM has collaborated with the Mahou-San Miguel brewing company.

The researcher points out that up until now brewers have measured furfural –a chemical compound that appears during the aging process of beer and gives it a stale taste– and other freshness indicators using methods based on chromatography techniques. “But these methods involve the use of expensive equipment and sample preparation is very time-consuming,” she highlights.

Sensor discs

The system developed by the researchers at the UCM consists of sensor discs that detect the presence of furfural in beer. These sensors, made from a polymer similar to the one used to manufacture contact lenses, have been designed to change colour (from yellow to pink) when they come into contact with a beer containing furfural.

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The sensors change from yellow to pink when they come into contact with a beer containing furfural. (Image: University of Madrid )

“We have incorporated an aniline derivative into the sensor material which reacts with the furfural and produces a pink cyanine derivative that allows us to identify the presence of the marker in the sample. The intensity of the colour increases as the concentration of furfural in the beer rises and, thus, as more time passes since the beer was produced,” explains the chemist.

The team has also created a mobile app for Android smartphones that, by taking a picture of the sensor disc, allows for the identification of the amount of furfural present in the beer. With this data, the degree of freshness can be determined.

The application is available as open source, meaning that any programmer can utilise and modify it to be used on other platforms. In the future it will also be available for Apple IOS.

The low cost method can also be used with other food products such as honey, milk and coffee

Results comparable to more sophisticated methods

Benito-Peña recounts that the idea of developing the new method came about following a meeting with Mahou-San Miguel in which the company spoke about the technical difficulties they were having in detecting furfural directly at the production facilities.

The results of the tests on the new system “have been very satisfactory,” says the co-author. “The measurements have been taken using samples sent directly from the brewing company with different production dates and distinct degrees of aging. These same samples were also sent to a laboratory where they were analysed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results we obtained were completely comparable,” she emphasises.

The method was initially developed for brewing companies. “Especially, because the global market for this product is huge. But it can also be used with other food products such as honey, milk, coffee, etc.,” indicates the researcher.


Source

The Information and Scientific News Service (SINC) – Spain

Reference

Alberto Rico-Yuste, Victoria González-Vallejo, Elena Benito-Peña, Tomás de las Casas Engel, Guillermo Orellana y María Cruz Moreno-Bondi. “Furfural Determination with Disposable Polymer Films and Smartphone-Based Colorimetry for Beer Freshness Assessment”. Analytical Chemistry (2016)

Related Articles

Furfural Derivatives in Apple Cider and Wine

Furfural Derivatives and 170 Year Old Champagne

Wake-up and Smell the Coffee .. its Why Your Cuppa Tastes so Good

  • Flavour
  • Furfural...

Source:  http://dalinyebo.com/item/1230-an-app-knows-if-a-beer-has-gone-stale

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Bolt-on furfural production: Fast, low-risk and low-cost bio-refining of bagasse and trash.

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Bolt-on furfural production: Fast, low-risk and low-cost bio-refining of bagasse and trash.

 

Also See

1

Add More Value to sugarcane Bagasse (& Trash)

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Benefit from the growing demand for biobased chemicals

The furfural industry is the oldest bio-based chemicals business (Furfural was discovered in the 19th century and has been commercially made since 1922!). Today, furfural is regarded as one of the top 30 building blocks for bio-based chemistry (e.g. used in and for plastics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, ag-chem., fuels, etc.) ..

SEE: "Add More Value to .."

2

Furfural from Bagasse: Diversification & Additional Revenue

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Furfural has been made from bagasse since the 1950's

The world's largest furfural factories use bagasse as feedstock (see presentation on the "Furfural from Bagasse .." site). We view furfural as an alternate revenue stream either in lieu of electricity production or as an appendix to electricity co-generation. Furfural can be a very viable diversification alternative and integrates into new or existing sugar mills, whether they make ethanol, sugar or both ..

SEE: "Furfural from Bagasse: Diversification & ..."

Downloads

Poster

{phocadownload view=file|id=74}

Concept Proposal (for registered users)

{phocadownload view=file|id=73}

 

Adding Value to Biomass

DalinYebo, which means "Wealth Creation" (Xhosa) was founded in 2001 to trade and develop new furfural production with the support of International Furan Technology (Pty) Ltd (a wholly owned DalinYebo subsidiary). Our collective knowhow enables us to provide complete technology & business solutions for the manufacture of furfural:

For owners of biomass we offer technology and market access, creating investment opportunities in the cleantech space. Contact us to discuss the potential your biomass has for the production of furfural.

For the agri (Biomass) processing, sugar, pulp & paper, etc. industries, we provide knowhow and technology to convert (residual) biomass to chemicals and energy.

  • Biorenewable Chemicals
  • Biomass
  • Trash
  • Bagasse
  • Furfural...

Source:  http://dalinyebo.com/item/1229-it-s-not-rocket-science-to-add-extra-revenue-to-sugarcane-bagasse-trash

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Benefit from the growing demand for biobased chemicals

All the headlines sound very similar. Like the following:
 "Global Bioplastics Market Growth of 29% CAGR by 2020" (www.reuters.com). 

DalinYebo's Comment: The furfural industry is the oldest bio-based chemicals business (Furfural was discovered in the 19th century and has been commercially made since 1922!). Today, furfural is regarded as one of the top 30 building blocks for bio-based chemistry (e.g. used in and for plastics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, ag-chem., fuels, etc.

Our Observation: Traditional Industries Are Missing Out!

Since 1999, billions of dollars have been successfully invested in the development of new biobased industries (biorefineries & biobased products), which already have created millions of new jobs (and profits!). The global sugar and pulp & paper industries operate some of the oldest biorefineries, but they have (in our humble opinion) shied away from leading any of these developments (from the front), even though they have plenty of the most important biorefining ingredient at their disposition: BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK.

On the other side, some of the most profitable furfural production units are integrated into a sugar or a pulp mill, but there have been no significant investment in that sector since the 1980s. One of hte explanations is that furfural production from bagasse is a "profitable" business and that is one of the best kept secrets which was independently validated as part of an MBA program by a German univeristy. 

"Furfural" is a lucrative niche market and it is growing. We started technology development in 1998. Since 2001, DalinYebo has been facilitating access to these markets and supported corporations that are interested in diversifying into or building a new bio-based chemicals business platform. Basically, we are able to connect all the missing dots to create a sustainable, bio-based revenue stream for sugar and pulp millers.

Furfural production is also an ideal addition to an existing electricity co-generation plant, as it optimises the use of waste-energy and improves the calorific value of the biomass used for co-generation (by >5%). Integration of furfural production into an existing mill adds additional value to bagasse (and trash!) and, like one our clients quite correctly observed, ..

.. it's not rocket science!

It is about a smart M&E Balance integration and how to get the furfural into the markets!

Furfural from bagasse offers a
50%    Higher
Income

than from electricity generation.


Have a look at the poster below or allow us to engage with you with the view of making you a proposal on the development of a furfural business.

 

 

Downloads

Poster

{phocadownload view=file|id=74}

Concept Proposal (for registered users)

{phocadownload view=file|id=73}

Adding Value to Biomass

DalinYebo, which means "Wealth Creation" (Xhosa) was founded in 2001 to trade and develop new furfural production with the support of International Furan Technology (Pty) Ltd (a wholly owned DalinYebo subsidiary). Our collective knowhow enables us to provide complete technology & business solutions for the manufacture of furfural:

For owners of biomass we offer technology and market access, creating investment opportunities in the cleantech space. Contact us to discuss the potential your biomass has for the production of furfural.

For the agri (Biomass) processing, sugar, pulp & paper, etc. industries, we provide knowhow and technology to convert (residual) biomass to chemicals and energy.

competent & talented professionals • strong technology core

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International Furan Technology ("IFT") has solid technical expertise in the bio-renewables space. Since the 1970/80s, its engineers, scientists and project professionals have been involved in the biomass-based chemical industry (furfural/sugar, ethanol, pulp & paper, etc.) and in electricity generation from direct combustion.  Their experience covers R&D, production and projects and we operate globally (e.g. Africa, India, Australia, South and Central America, USA/Canada, Switzerland, Emirates, China and Russia).

 

  • Furfural
  • Bagasse
  • Trash
  • Biomass
  • Biorenewable Chemicals...

Source:  http://www.dalinyebo.com/item/1228-add-more-value-to-sugarcane-bagasse-trash

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Furfural and CO2 as Building Blocks for Bioplastics

We have previously highlighted that bio-renewable PEF (polyethylene furanoate) is an alternate and green plastic for soft drink bottles: PEF is made from ethylene glycol and FDCA (furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid). As with most furfural derivatives, the chemistry is very old (and forgotten?): FDCA was first obtained in 1876 and is derived from furoic acid, which was first described in 1780. FDCA is one of 12 priority chemicals for establishing the “green” chemistry industry of the future, according to the US Department of Energy.  

DalinYebo's Comment: What a brilliant pathway, to use CO2 and a furfural derivative, which is made from non-food agricultural residues, instead of food-based feedstock!

Stanford Report, March 9, 2016

Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum. "Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO2 ..."

Many plastic products today are made from a polymer called polyethylene terephthalate (PET), also known as polyester. Worldwide, about 50 million tons of PET are produced each year for items such as fabrics, electronics, recyclable beverage containers and personal-care products. 

Reference:

news.stanford.edu

  • PET
  • Furoic Acid
  • Furfural
  • Bioplastics
  • FDCA
  • PEF
  • Biorenewable Chemicals...

Source:  http://www.dalinyebo.com/item/1227-plastic-bottles-from-carbon-dioxide-and-a-furfural-derivative

Introducing: Biomass.Market

Disruption With A Difference

All Biomass is local! It does not makes economic sense to ship it long distances!

Editor’s Note: The lack of available feedstock (e.g. corncobs) for smaller biorefineries such as the GreenEnergyPark™ and the absence of a local biomass trade was the inspiration to create a platform that allows farmers and foresters to connect with users of biomass.

Tag: Biomass.Market | Search: Biomass | Explore: Cob.Trade (Beta Testing)

DalinYebo: Bioeconomy Consultants

Technology . Markets . Knowhow

      

 

This article first appeared on ConnectinTheDots.Solutions:

GCIP Executive Summary and Posters

Biomass.Market™ is a local, cloud-based biomass trading & information platform. It connects small & large farmers or foresters with biomass processors (such as power plants, agro-processing hubs & biorefiners).

Biomass.Market™ was founded by a team that has over 17 years of biomass processing experience on the one side and is supported by IT tech experts, as well as rural planners and a rural development NGO on the other side.

Therefore, Biomass.Market™:

provides a trading platform,

distributes relevant business information and

has a technical support team:

that ensures on-time supply and product quality,

advises on harvesting and logistics or on biomass processing/business opportunities. 


Also see:

Introducing: Biomass.Market from DalinYebo.com: Bioeconomy Consultants : Innovative Minds

 

 

 ...

Source:  https://dalinyebo.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/introducing-biomass-market/

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