Recent Developments and Prospects for the Use of Microorganisms in Beer Production

Abstract

One of the earliest and most popular fermented drinks, beer is made by brewing yeast to microbially ferment carbohydrates taken from cereals. The brewing procedure, fermentation microbiology, post-fermentation treatments, and raw ingredients used in beer production are all summarized in this overview. The main processes of brewing-malting, mashing, wort boiling, fermentation, maturation, filtering, pasteurization, and packaging-as well as the functions of water, malt, hops, and yeast in determining beer quality are covered. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus, two brewing yeasts that produce ethanol, carbon dioxide, and flavor-active chemicals from fermentable carbohydrates, are given special attention. Beer quality, production efficiency, and sustainability have all increased because of recent developments in brewing biotechnology and process optimization.