Germans (Who Else?) Develop Un-Skunkable Beer
Designing a way to extend shelf life of beverages by removing riboflavin If you like beer, then perk up those ears, for we have news of an innovation – brought to you by, who else, the Germans – that could lead to longer-lasting brews. The development in question is a polymer that extracts riboflavin, a micronutrient found throughout beer and other beverages that promotes spoilage when exposed to light. The reason lies in a process called photo-oxidation: when light passing through a translucent container (like that Hoegaarden bottle in your fridge) combines with riboflavin, a chemical reaction ensues that changes the flavor of the ale and decreases its shelf life. And so, to maintain beer freshness for longer, researchers at the Technical University of Dortmund (commissioned by beer giant Heineken, much to the chagrin of many Germans I'm sure) designed a polymer that, when dipped into...