Visiting a brewery is often a very enjoyable experience. You get to try new fresh, crisp beers that are being created only a short few step away. Yet only a few steps away, is a precipitate called beerstone, that may be hiding in tanks and kegs attempting to ruin that cold refreshing and enjoyable beverage.

Beerstone is a grayish-brown scale composed of calcium oxalate (CaC2O4) and other organic substances forming on the inside surfaces of brewing equipment. This precipitate is largely formed by a reaction between alkaline cleaners (caustic), hard water minerals (calcium and magnesium) and protein (amino acids).

What can this seemingly harmless buildup do to that savory drink? At the most innocent level it can shorten the shelf life of the beer and create “off” tasing flavors. At its most evil, it can ruin an entire batch of beer with its overpowering “off” flavoring., forcing the brewery to dump all that promising goodness. This can be costly and consumes valuable brewery time and resources and forces beer drinkers to miss out.

The long-term consequence is the metal underneath the beerstone can become oxygen depleted and lose passivity, causing pitting. This can increase the odds of beerstone forming (returning??) and causing damage to valuable equipment.

Avoiding this heartbreak, is extremely important for that breweries and brewers are properly cleaning and sanitizing their brewing equipment. Improper will run the risk of beerstone building up, making it difficult to remove due to its resiliency. 

A multistep approach is most effective for removing beerstone. Beerstone is a combination of protein buildup and mineral deposits, so removal works best when the protein is broken up using a caustic solution, such as AgroClean., The remaining buildup will dissolve when a heavy duty acidic cleaner, such as StrongHold, or a powerful acid sanitizer like Oxystrike is applied. Once free of beerstone, metal surfaces typically require less aggressive chemicals to keep buildup from reoccurring.

AgroClean is a caustic, non-foaming alkaline CIP detergent. It is chlorine and phosphate free with scale inhibitors and rinse aids to promote rapid and clean sheeting. It is available in various formulations to cope with your water conditions.

Stronghold acid rinse products are also available in a wide range of formulations. They are made to neutralize alkalinity and react with minerals to prevent build up.

Oxystrike is an EPA Registered Acid Sanitizer with a punch of nitric acid to prevent build up. It combines the intensity of an acid rinse against proteins and phosphate scale with the proven sanitizing efficacy of a peracetic acid, in one labor saving step.

To learn more about how our products can help in your brewing solutions click here.

Since peroxyacetic acid is an equilibrium product, it can be formulated to have varying concentrations of PAA and hydrogen peroxide. Consequently, this allows PAA to be extremely versatile and used in an array of industries and different applications.

Here are some industries where the applications can be used:

Farming: Sanitizer in agricultural & poultry premises. Sanitizer to treat animal diseases by controlling pathogenic micro-organisms

Food & Beverage: Antimicrobial, disinfectant and sanitizer within commercial food establishments and processing equipment, brewery manufacturing processes and wineries.

Industrial Cleaning: Quickly becoming a viable alternative in sanitization to Sodium Hypochlorite as it does not react with proteins to produce toxic or carcinogenic compounds.

Pulp & Paper: Antimicrobial and bleaching agent in pulp industries

Dairy: Sanitizer in dairy & cheese processing plants and pasteurizers

Healthcare: Potent virucide for sanitizing of medical facilities.

Oil & Gas: Antimicrobial use with treatment fluids in oilfield and gas field well operations such as well drilling, fracturing, productivity enhancement and secondary recovery.

Laundry: Used as a bleaching agent, sanitizer, disinfectant and oxidizer in commercial and industrial laundry tunnel washers.

Waste Water:PAA plays an important role in the treatment of wastewater. It’s used to control bacteria and inhibit microbes during the treatment process.

For more information about our Paracetic Acid products read here.

(Saratoga Springs, NY): OXYSAN, a peracetic acid antimicrobial wash from Biosan, LLC, was found to be highly effective against two gram-negative, foodborne, pathogenic bacteria on leafy green produce surfaces, according to a recent study from a national food safety testing laboratory.The study by Food Safety Net Services compared the presence of three different types of bacteria in OXYSAN-treated leafy green produce samples against samples treated with a tap water wash. All samples were kept at ambient room temperature during processing, and PAA concentrations were measured immediately after preparation, immediately prior to treatment, and immediately following treatment.

The study demonstrated that OXYSAN had a high degree of efficacy against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica cells attached to leafy green produce surfaces, and was moderately effective against Listeria monocytogenes.

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit https://biosanpaa.com.

(Saratoga Springs, NY) — Biosan, LLC has relocated to a new production center to meet the growing demand for effective, safe peracetic acid products worldwide.“We know there is a growing demand for peracetic acid for a wide range of industries,” said Biosan, LLC President, Rob DeMarco. “With this new center, Biosan is now ready to meet the demand for effective sanitizing and disinfecting products for the food processing, laundry, industrial, agriculture and horticulture industries.”

The new 38,000-square-foot production center features expanded manufacturing facilities, state-of-the art laboratories, a bulk tank farm, and an optimized floor plan. The efficient layout has reduced forklift hours, and the extensive process piping and controls have minimized handling of chemicals. Collectively, all the changes have improved efficiencies throughout the operation, leading to shorter lead times and increased output for Biosan customers in North America, Europe and Asia.

Biosan, LLC is based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications such as Food & Beverage, Cleaning and Sanitation, Industrial Laundry, Agriculture and Horticulture, Waste Water and Pulp & Paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer, disinfectant and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit www.biosanpaa.com.

(Saratoga Springs, NY) – Biosan, LLC has received a Food Contact Substance Notification (FCN 001639) for its peracetic acid products. Issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this FCN Certification enables Biosan to broaden its antimicrobial product offerings to better serve the food processing industry.

“FCN 1639 allows Biosan to provide a high-quality peracetic acid for use as a safe, non-rinse antimicrobial for the meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable industries,” said Joe-Ben Mattos, Biosan Director of Sales in North America.

The Food Substance Contact Notificationand certification process is administered by the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN). In order to receive the certification, manufacturers must submit to a 120-day review period to evaluate the safety of their products as they come into contact with food substances. The FDA has recently updated this process by changing guidelines that detail data requirements for manufacturing, chemistry, toxicology, and environmental aspects of production and use of product.

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, laundry, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 876-9827 or visit https://biosanpaa.com.