Food tech company Chinova Bioworks is developing a vegan-friendly mushroom fining agent for breweries so that animal products can be eliminated from the beer production process
Good news for vegan beer lovers! Food tech company Chinova Bioworks is developing a vegan-friendly mushroom fining agent to eliminate animal products from the beer production process.
The rapid fining agent for breweries, named ‘Chiber’, uses Chinova’s proprietary white button mushroom fibre.
Historically, beer is made from water, yeast, hops, and barley or wheat and can easily be vegan-friendly.
However, some breweries use pepsin (pigs’ stomach enzymes) or isinglass (obtained from fish bladders) to filter the beer giving it a clearer and brighter appearance.
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Chinova Bioworks’ vegan beer
Chinoba Bioworks’ major research initiative is in collaboration with College Communautaire du Nouveau Brunswick’s (CCNB) to produce vegan-friendly pints.
In addition to eliminating animal products, results show Chiber works eight times faster at settling yeast post-fermentation.
Furthermore, as an extra bonus it can also leave residual antimicrobial benefits to the beer.
The antimicrobial helps keep the beer fresher for longer, ultimately reducing waste and making Chiber a cost-effective and natural solution for the brewing industry.
Additionally, the pure fibres extracted from the stems of white button mushrooms contain no allergenic materials.
Chiber is odourless and tasteless and does not alter the taste, colour, or consistency of the vegan beverage.
Moreover, the food-tech company hopes to launch Chiber for alcoholic beverages in the first quarter of 2022.
'Chiber' uses Chinova’s proprietary white button mushroom fibre.
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“People are searching for vegan and plant-based options for every aspect of their lifestyle”
In a statement, COO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks, David Brown, shared: “People are searching for vegan and plant-based options for every aspect of their lifestyle.
“We are committed to innovating and providing sustainable solutions based off our white button mushroom fibre technology.”
Brown added: “Alcoholic beverages, particularly beer, are plagued with the use of animal-derived and synthetic ingredients.
“We believe we can make a big impact here with Chiber.”
It’s clear the demand for ethical vegan products is influencing change in the food and drink industry.
Seeing companies such as Chinova Bioworks develop revolutionary ingredients that can eliminate animal products from our lives brings us one step closer to a vegan future.
Want to delve into conscious brewing? Here’s our guide to vegan beer!
