QFood GmbH

26/02/2024

The next blog in our Brewing Deconstructed series is here:

Background There has been an explosion in the number of hops that are now available to the home brewer. With so many types on offer we decided to compare and contrast a few as late additions. Aim To taste the different flavours different hops bring to a beer. Method A...

05/09/2023

https://www.qfood.eu/blog/investigating-sugar-syrup-additions-to-wort/

The 2nd experiment in our Brewing deconstructed blog is here 😀

03/08/2023

And here is the first one: https://www.qfood.eu/blog/brewing-deconstructed/experiment-101-investigating-kveik-yeast-strain-flavour-profiles/

A small yeast sampler experiment in which we compare some kveik strains in terms of taste and beer parameters.

Background The use of Kveik yeasts has exploded these last few years. Kveik yeast strains are cleaned up versions of yeast cultures that have been used in traditional Norwegian farmhouse breweries for many years. They ferment fast, and can be used at higher temperatures without generating too many f...

03/08/2023

https://www.qfood.eu/blog/brewing-deconstructed/brewing-deconstrcuted-welcome/

A warm welcome to you all to our revamped blog. As much fun as its been blogging repeatedly that coffee is good and so are eggs we have decided to bring you more information about things that are a bit more relevant to us, i.e. beer!
We have been running some in house experiments over the last 18 months looking into predominantly beer brewing but also wine, cider, mead, braggot etc. and then measuring the samples with our equipment here and testing it on an unsuspecting tasting panel… anyone lucky enough to be in the coffee room at the end of the day or friends that have the misfortune to visit.

We kick off with Kviek yeast flavours.

A warm welcome to you all to our revamped blog. As much fun as its been blogging repeatedly that coffee is good and so are eggs we have decided to bring you more information about things that are a bit more relevant to us, i.e. beer! We have been running...

02/11/2021

3 cups a day to keep heart attacks at bay?

On wet, cold, dark mornings like today, it is nice to read that this warm cup of coffee nursing me awake could actually be doing some good for my body and not just pulling me out of slumber.

Reported on the website of the European Society of Cardiology, research presented at the ESC Congress 2021, found that drinking up to 3 cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart disease.
To try to understand the reasons why, the researchers looked at MRI scans of people’s hearts with a median 11 year follow up. They found that the hearts of people who reported to drink coffee regularly had a heathier size and better function compared to those who did not drink coffee regularly.

Time for a refill methinks.

On wet, cold, dark mornings like today, it is nice to read that this warm cup of coffee nursing me awake could actually be doing some good for my body and not just pulling me out of slumber. Reported on the website of the European Society of Cardiology, research presented...

02/07/2021

Move over fish oil, it's time to get minty

Good news for you mint lovers out there. An extract from spearmint that has previously been shown to improve cognitive performance in 50-70 year olds with age related memory issues, can also benefit the young.

The researchers gave 900mg of the proprietary spearmint extract or a placebo to 142 young, active individuals daily for 90 days. No significant differences were observed in mood, sleep or quality of life, but significant improvements were found in sustained and complex attention.

It does say that the supplementation was chronic so I’m assuming you would need to eat a lot of mint, or drink an unheard of amount of mint tea to get the same effect. But anyway, this makes my hot cup of mint infusion seem all the more enjoyable.

Click the link to go to the Qfood website.

Good news for you mint lovers out there. An extract from spearmint that has previously been shown to improve cognitive performance in 50-70 year olds with age related memory issues, can also benefit the young. The researchers gave 900mg of the proprietary spearmint extract or a placebo to 142 young,...

12/03/2021

World’s oldest mass production brewery?

The remains of a brewery that is believed to have produced approx. 22,400 litres of beer at a time have been discovered in Egypt.

Reported on the ABC news website, the remains were found in south Egypt and believed to be 5000 years old making them the oldest mass production brewery. The beer seems to have been brewed in earthenware pots that was arranged in rows with the brewery split into eight large areas.

Only one question remains in my mind, when are they going to give some information to Dogfish Head Brewery so they can try and make it for us?

Click below to read more on the Qfood website:

The remains of a brewery that is believed to have produced approx. 22,400 litres of beer at a time have been discovered in Egypt. Reported on the ABC news website, the remains were found in south Egypt and believed to be 5000 years old making them the oldest mass production...

18/02/2021

Keep your heart going, drink a cuppa Joe

Good news for all you fellow coffee drinkers out there. New research has found that people who drink more coffee have a reduced risk of heart failure.

Published in the journal “Circulation: Heart Failure” the researchers used machine learning to identify potential risk factors associated with heart failure, coronary heart disease and stroke in the data from one study. They then checked these identified factors in 2 other studies to validate their findings.

They found multiple risk factors “including marital status, red meat consumption, whole milk consumption, and coffee consumption.” Increased coffee consumption was associated with lower risk of heart failure in all three studies. Interesting decaf coffee had the opposite effect.

As per usual, the authors recommend further studies are needed before we all start guzzling obscene amounts of coffee.

Good news for all you fellow coffee drinkers out there. New research has found that people who drink more coffee have a reduced risk of heart failure. Published in the journal “Circulation: Heart Failure” the researchers used machine learning to identify potential risk factors associated with he...

15/05/2020

Methanol strikes again

Reported in the English newspaper The Guardian, at least 35 people in Mexico have died as a result of drinking liquor adulterated with methanol.

The sale of beer has been banned in Mexico since the lockdown and many states have also banned the sale of liquor. The newspaper reports that it is unclear whether the people drank the bad liquor because legitimate liquor was unavailable or due to the economic effects of the lockdown, i.e. could only afford the bootleg liquor. Either reason brings the same results.

The authorities have seized the offending bootleg liquor and closed down the stores that were selling it.

Reported in the English newspaper The Guardian, at least 35 people in Mexico have died as a result of drinking liquor adulterated with methanol. The sale of beer has been banned in Mexico since the lockdown and many states have also banned the sale of liquor. The newspaper reports that...

04/05/2020

News this week that the arsenic levels in rice sold in the UK could be too high for babies and children under 5 years old.

Reported on the Sheffield University website and published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, the scientists found that more than half the varieties of rice tested had higher levels of arsenic than regulations allowed for young children. Brown rice was the worst offender due to the fact it also contains the bran and organically grown rice had significantly more than the non-organically grown rice.

The authors state that due to the levels found infants should be restricted to 20g per day. Apparently the levels found should not be of concern for grownups.

News this week that the arsenic levels in rice sold in the UK could be too high for babies and children under 5 years old. Reported on the Sheffield University website and published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, the scientists found that more than half the varieties of...

06/12/2019

Have you had yours today?

With so many probiotics out there, whether in the shape of yogurt, yogurt based drinks, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut or capsules bursting with freeze dried cultures, it is fair to say we are spoilt for choice.

But one more has been reported recently in the English newspaper “The Telegraph” that has my vote of approval. It turns out Hoegaarden Witbier – that tasty wheat beer from Belgium infused with orange rind and coriander seeds, also contains live probiotics.

The beer is fermented in the usual way with yeast. It is then filtered before going into the bottle and then a second strain of yeast is added for a small round of fermentation that carbonates the beer. Putting beer in the bottle before fermentation is complete to carbonate it is known as bottle conditioning and is nothing unusual.

The difference lies in the yeast they use, apparently they don’t use a standard beer yeast but instead one that also produces acids. These acids are bad for bacteria and so good for our gut.

Of course, it was also stated that too much alcohol is not good for you, so as always, everything in moderation, but it was good to hear that there is more to this tipple than just a good taste.

Click here to read more.

https://www.qfood.eu/blog/have-you-had-yours-today/

With so many probiotics out there, whether in the shape of yogurt, yogurt based drinks, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut or capsules bursting with freeze dried cultures, it is fair to say we are spoilt for choice. But one more has been reported recently in the English newspaper “The Telegraph.....

09/05/2019

Balsamic vinegar, or is it?

The fight against fraud never rests. According to the English newspaper “The Guardian”, 9000 tonnes of must (crushed grapes) from counterfeit grapes that were destined for balsamic vinegar production have been seized.

First things first, what is balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a very dark, concentrated, and intensely flavoured vinegar originating in Italy, made wholly or partially from grape must. The one we see for sale in the supermarkets that we are most familiar is known as Balsamic vinegar of Modena. The regulations for this type allow the use of colour, wine vinegar and different grape varieties in the ingredients. In comparison, the more expensive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia are produced from only 7 type of grapes, grown in the Modena or Reggio Emilia provinces and aged in barrels for years. It was the production of these types that the fraudsters had targeted.

According to the newspaper, certificates were allegedly falsified that allowed must from inferior grapes to be used in the production of balsamic vinegar. However, thanks to the police investigation this fraud was detected and the must confiscated.

Click below to read more.

The fight against fraud never rests. According to the English newspaper “The Guardian”, 9000 tonnes of must (crushed grapes) from counterfeit grapes that were destined for balsamic vinegar production have been seized. First things first, what is balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a very dark,...