• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Filtering material raised arsenic levels in beer

April 12, 2013Jason Morgan

It all started when some German beers were found to have raised levels of arsenic — more arsenic than was found in the water the brewers were using. So it only made sense that the increased arsenic was coming from something used in the brewing process. The culprit? Filtering material used to remove yeast, hops and other particles.

Arsenic found in beer filter
It was found that a filtering material called kieselguhr, or diatomaceous earth, was the source of the increased arsenic in some German beers.

The findings were announced at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society late last week. Phys.org, a science, research and technology website, reported that Mehmet Coelhan, Ph.D., and colleagues tested 140 samples of beers sold in Germany as part of the program. It was found that a filtering material called kieselguhr, or diatomaceous earth, was the source of the arsenic. From Phys.org:

Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae that lived millions of years ago. It finds wide use in filtering beer, wine and is an ingredient in other products.

“We concluded that kieselguhr may be a significant source of arsenic contamination in beer,” Coelhan said. “This conclusion was supported by analysis of kieselguhr samples. These tests revealed that some kieselguhr samples release arsenic. The resulting arsenic levels were only slightly elevated, and it is not likely that people would get sick from drinking beers made with this filtration method because of the arsenic. The arsenic is still at low levels—the risk of alcohol poisoning is a far more realistic concern, as stated in previous studies on the topic.”

A bit of background, the World Health Organization sets the bar at 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter of water for safe use.

The scientific team hopes these findings will serve as a warning to other brewers, wine makers and food processors that kieselguhr could release arsenic if used. Coelhan stated that kieselguhr alternatives are available and a simple solution could even be washing the kieselguhr before use to remove the arsenic.

homebrew con
The who, what, where, when and how (to register) for Homebrew Con 2023
Koga-brothers-karben4
Karben4 Brewing to relaunch Ale Asylum brand
Caius Farm Brewery opens in Branford, Conn.
Colorado’s Resolute Brewing shares its 2022 year in review (rebrands and invests in local malt)

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • The who, what, where, when and how (to register) for Homebrew Con 2023
  • Twenty Tennessee breweries prep 2023 Craft Brewers Conference collab and more beers to know this week
  • Karben4 Brewing to relaunch Ale Asylum brand
  • Caius Farm Brewery opens in Branford, Conn.

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Koga-brothers-karben4Karben4 Brewing to relaunch Ale Asylum brand
    March 20, 2023
  • 4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer
    March 20, 2023
  • newbelgium_2023_wildnectar-shopping-basket_family_IMG_2Beyond beer: Examples of craft breweries exploring canned cocktails
    March 16, 2023
  • brooklyn 35 featureBrooklyn Lager turns 35 and more beers to know this week
    March 14, 2023
  • Backwoods Brewing to open a 19-acre resort called Party Acres in the Columbia River gorge this May
    March 13, 2023
  • Distribution update: NYC’s Alewife Brewing now sells in eastern Pennsylvania + news from Maui, Urban South and more
    March 13, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC