- Title: Probiotic beer could boost the immune system
- Date: 28th July 2017
- Summary: SINGAPORE (JULY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) BARMAN AT THE JOLLY ROGER PUB POURING BEER BEHIND BAR BEER BEING POURED IN GLASS PATRONS DRINKING BEER BEER BEING SERVED AT THE BAR PATRON DRINKING BEER SINGAPORE (JULY 14, 2017) (REUTERS) FOOD RESEARCHER AND PROBIOTICS BEER INVENTOR, ALCINE CHAN, PUTTING MALT EXTRACT INTO WORT MIXTURE VARIOUS OF CHAN ADDING SUGAR VARIOUS OF CHAN ADDING HOPS INTO MIXTURE AND MIXING WITH SPOON CHAN LOOKING AT MIXTURE MIXTURE BOILING/NEEDS TO BOIL FOR AN HOUR CHAN TRANSFERRING BOILED WORT ONTO ICE WORT COOLING WITH ICE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LIU SHAO QUAN, WHO SUPERVISED CHAN'S PROJECT, HELPING CHAN FILTER THE WORT WORT DRIPPING IN GLASS CONTAINER VARIOUS OF CHAN BRINGING WORT CONTAINER TO NEW WORKSTATION PROBIOTICS USED FOR THE BEER AND YEAST IN TWO SEPARATE CONTAINERS VARIOUS OF CHAN TRANSFERRING PROBIOTICS INTO WORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOOD RESEARCHER AND PROBIOTICS BEER INVENTOR, 23-YEAR-OLD ALCINE CHAN, SAYING: "I thought it would be interesting if I could incorporate probiotics into something new and because beer, beer is personally it is a challenging environment so if you are able to incorporate probiotics it would be a big breakthrough and also because beer is something that, is a beverage that will never die, it's frequently drink at social events so in a way there's huge market potential as well." CHAN BRINGING WORT MIXED WITH PROBIOTICS AND YEAST INTO TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED CABINET FOR TWO TO THREE WEEKS FERMENTATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOOD RESEARCHER AND PROBIOTIC BEER INVENTOR, 23-YEAR-OLD ALCINE CHAN, SAYING: "The hops is the main ingredient that kills probiotics so we have to find a way in order for the probiotics to overcome the hops so this process actually is quite tedious." VARIOUS OF CHAN POURING READY PROBIOTICS BEER INTO GLASS (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOOD RESEARCHER AND PROBIOTICS BEER INVENTOR, 23-YEAR-OLD ALCINE CHAN, SAYING: "So the taste of the beer, it's a sour beer so it will taste sour because the of probiotics that produce lactic acid but at the same time, besides sour it also has hints of fruitiness and the alcohol content is about 3.5 percent, around the same percentage of other commercial sour beers." SINGAPORE (JULY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) MELISSA MAK, FOUNDER OF SG FERMENTATION FRIENDS, A COMMUNITY THAT AIMS TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE THEIR OWN FERMENTED PROBIOTICS FOODS AND BEVERAGES, GIVING A WORKSHOP MAK SPEAKING MAK HOLDING SMALL BOTTLE CONTAINING KOMBUCHA, FERMENTED TEA MAK PASSING BOTTLE FOR TASTING PEOPLE POURING KOMBUCHA FOR TASTING BOTTLES OF DIFFERENT FLAVOURED KOMBUCHA CHILI FLAVORED KOMBUCHA MAK SPEAKING DURING WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOUNDER OF SG FERMENTATION FRIENDS, MELISSA MAK, SAYING: "I think the probiotic beer is quite a conundrum, it's a bit of a make spec thing because you now on the one hand you're thinking beer that doesn't sound like a good thing at all but yet you are adding stuff like good bacteria and yeast relevant like lactobacillus which is something that makes it a bit more sour, so you're thinking ok is this healthy or is this not healthy, no one knows for sure, I think it's a very exciting new product that we can have in the market for sure." SINGAPORE (JULY 14, 2017) (REUTERS) PROFESSOR LIU AND CHAN CHEERING AND DRINKING PROBIOTICS BEER
- Embargoed: 11th August 2017 10:36
- Keywords: beer probiotic probiotic beer National University of Singapore NUS gut health good bacteria
- Location: SINGAPORE
- City: SINGAPORE
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RMTRVF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: It's a breakthrough worth raising a glass to. Researchers in Singapore have brewed up a beer containing probiotic bacteria that can improve gut health and boost the immune system.
Food researcher Alcine Chan, 23, experimented for almost a year with a recipe of malt, alcohol, hops and a strain of probiotic bacteria, until she got the formula just right.
"The hops are the main ingredient that kills probiotics, so we had to find a way for the probiotics to overcome the hops," Chan said, demonstrating the pre-fermentation process in a laboratory at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The popularity of beer promises huge market potential for the process, she said, adding that she hoped it would reach as many consumers as possible.
Chan, who perfected the beer recipe as a project for the senior year of her degree, said she drew inspiration from the probiotic yoghurt and dairy drinks she consumes every day.
The pale, bubbly drink tastes slightly sweet and has 3.5 percent alcohol content, just under the 4 percent to 6 percent of regular beers. Every 100 ml (3.4 oz) of the drink, or roughly just over a mouthful, contains 1 billion probiotic organisms.
While probiotics have been shown to improve digestive function and boost the immune system, among other health benefits, project researchers stop short of making nutrition claims.
"The beer is simply a new vehicle for delivering probiotics and the associated health benefits," said Chan's project supervisor, Liu Shao Quan, adding that it had not yet been given a name.
Melissa Mak, founder of Fermentation Friends, a group that holds workshops on making fermented probiotic food and beverages, said she would give the beer a try.
"It's highly incongruous to think of beer as being a good thing in terms of nutrition," Mak said. "No one knows for sure, but I think it's a very exciting new product."
Liu's team has also experimented with flavoured coffees and wines made from Southeast Asia's popular lychee and durian fruits.
But it will be some time before bars can offer the new beer, as the researchers wait for their drink to be patented. The pair are also in talks with beer companies on marketing plans, Liu said, without giving details.
The beer contains the Lactobacilus paracasei L26 probiotic strain, the researchers said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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