Kvasny Prum. 2013; 59(2): 33-40 | DOI: 10.18832/kp2013004

Spontaneous liberation of carbon dioxide from beer and gushing.Peer-reviewed article

Jan ŠAVEL, Petr KOŠIN, Adam BROŽ

Budějovický Budvar, n.p., Karolíny Světlé 4, 370 21 České Budějovice

Release of carbon dioxide from beer bottle after its opening was measured as the rate of gas liberation or the liquid volume displacement from the bottle . Results confirm the importance of solid particles and gases that are bonded on their surfaces during spontaneous liberation of carbon dioxide from beer and carbonated water, which does not contain any hydrofobins . Such a mechanism can be applied to inorganic and organic substances including cellulose and activated charcoal, which can be considered as thermally degraded cellulose . Small cellulose particles may be part of the beer, and their formation may also be enhanced by mold infection of grains . The degradation of malt grain walls can be accelerated by penetration of fungi that might produce nano and microparticles of cellulose . Rate of carbon dioxide liberation also depends on other factors, such as its concentration, the presence of other gases (e .g . air), the temperature, mechanical movement, beer composition and the supply of gases bounded to the surface of insoluble particles in beer . Its role also has the concentration of microbubbles and the speed of their movement, at which microbubbles can be enriched by diffusion of CO2, of which concentration in the liquid declines . Measurement of CO2 liberation rate can be helpful during studies of factors inducing or suppressing gushing .Release of carbon dioxide from beer bottle after its opening was measured as the rate of gas liberation or the liquid volume displacement from the bottle . Results confirm the importance of solid particles and gases that are bonded on their surfaces during spontaneous liberation of carbon dioxide from beer and carbonated water, which does not contain any hydrofobins . Such a mechanism can be applied to inorganic and organic substances including cellulose and activated charcoal, which can be considered as thermally degraded cellulose . Small cellulose particles may be part of the beer, and their formation may also be enhanced by mold infection of grains . The degradation of malt grain walls can be accelerated by penetration of fungi that might produce nano and microparticles of cellulose . Rate of carbon dioxide liberation also depends on other factors, such as its concentration, the presence of other gases (e .g . air), the temperature, mechanical movement, beer composition and the supply of gases bounded to the surface of insoluble particles in beer . Its role also has the concentration of microbubbles and the speed of their movement, at which microbubbles can be enriched by diffusion of CO2, of which concentration in the liquid declines . Measurement of CO2 liberation rate can be helpful during studies of factors inducing or suppressing gushing .

Keywords: gushing, beer, decarbonization, CO2 flow rate, cellulose, activated charcoal, saturated beverage, microbubbles

Received: September 21, 2012; Published: February 1, 2013