Study of Online Fermentation Monitoring Systems in Small Breweries.

Abstract

Monitoring fermentation is essential to ensure the quality of beer during its production. Technological development has led to the design of systems based on online density control that allow for more specific data on the fermentation evolution; however, these devices are still being studied to provide information that ensures accuracy and reliability when used.

This work focused on the implementation of Tilt floating hydrometers to be evaluated in the online monitoring of specific gravity (SG) during eight fermentation processes, using measurements taken from a conventional offline densitometer as a reference. The experimental results revealed that the online device performed well in reading, recording, and storing wireless data for continuous tracking and real-time visualization of fermentation profiles; however, buoyancy issues were detected with the device, resulting in incorrect readings due to movements of the wort. Statistical analysis of online and offline measurements revealed a positive correlation and acceptable percentage errors in seven out of the eight batches, confirming the high accuracy of the Tilt system. It is concluded that it is a reliable and practical device, although it would be interesting to evaluate its accuracy compared to other online hydrometers and across different production scales.