Microplastics in beer are not uncommon: In most large breweries, microplastics are even used as an aid. You can find out more about the background to this phenomenon here.
In our everyday life we take regularly microplastics to us. The small plastic parts are not only in cosmetics, but also in various foods and our drinking water. But microplastics in beer also contribute to the tiny plastic particles accumulating in our bodies.
What does microplastic do in beer?
Beer brewed according to the German Purity Law may only contain hops, barley malt, water and yeast. However, the corresponding “Preliminary Beer Act” of 1993 allows other technical additives, colorings and filter aids.
Microplastics get into beer in the form of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP). This substance is a plastic granulate or a polymer that is added to the drink as a stabilizing agent. It should bind superfluous tannins and polyphenols. It is then filtered off again together with these. This ensures that the beer remains as clear as possible over a long period of time. Breweries like to use the additive because it doesn’t affect the taste of the end product.
Because machines filter PVPP back out during the manufacturing process, manufacturers don’t need to list the polymer as an ingredient on the label. Nevertheless, residues can still remain afterwards, which ensure that we ingest microplastics through beer. In 2014, the NDR business and consumption magazine “Markt” found microplastics in all types of beer examined. These were the best-selling beer brands in Germany. The maximum value was 78.8 plastic fibers per liter of beer.
How dangerous is microplastic?
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / spooky_kid)
PVPP is approved as an additive under number E1202. It also comes as a sweetener and a component of dietary supplements for use. There are no restrictions for the substance because it is considered harmless. In fact, it is still unclear how microplastics affect our bodies. Most studies now refer to animals. The extent to which the results can be transferred to humans has not yet been finally scientifically clarified.
We probably excrete a large part of the microplastics we eat through digestion. It is still questionable whether deposits can remain and what long-term consequences microplastics have in our organism.
If you want to avoid microplastics in beer, you should use naturally cloudy beer: it is not filtered.
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Microplastics in cosmetics: where it hides and how to avoid it
- Laboratory investigation: microplastics in every mineral water
- Brew your own beer: These are the basics