Project Materials

EFFECTIVE USE OF A TROPICAL HOP NAMED BITTER LEAF [VERNONIA AMYGDALINA] EXTRACT AS A MEANS OF EXTENDING THE SHELF – LIFE OF LOCALLY BREWED MILLET BEER

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Barley and millet, two Cerael grains, are used to make beer, an alcoholic beverage. A process known as fermentation uses microscopic fungus called yeast to break down the sugars in grains and produce carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. Beers produced by this chemical technique usually have an alcohol percentage of between 2 and 6%.

Nowadays, there are more than 70 different kinds of beer accessible. The brewing process is where each beer style gets its distinct qualities and variations. In brewing, four basic materials are employed: grains, hops, and bitterleaves, which can be used in place of hops.

Water and yeast, Grains that naturally contain the sugars needed for fermentation include millet. Additionally, it adds flavour, colour, body, and texture to beer.

The hop plant, a vine related to the nettle plant, produces tiny, green, cone-shaped blooms called hops. Worldwide, more than 50 types of hops are cultivated, primarily in North America, Europe, and Australia. However, we would like to employ bitterleaf as a hop alternative. Here in Africa, it is primarily grown.

Hops add natural ingredients that keep microorganisms from destroying beer and give it a spicy, bitter flavour. Two species of Yeast ;Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces uvarum and baker’s yeast.

Each yeast species is used in a slightly different method of fermentation and produces a distinct type of beer. Beer was created by humans as a beverage wherever cereal grains were produced throughout history.

Beer brewing is a significant industrial revolution worldwide, and they used barley in Egypt and millet and sorghum in other parts of Africa. 2002. Nearly 175 million barrels of beer were produced in the United States by 1800 brewers.

Beer is ingrained in society in many ways, from the concrete to the intangible. Locally owned breweries are better at delivering social ideals than multinational corporations. Beer, a byproduct of brewing processes, has been a significant part of our civilisation since ancient times.

It fosters community camaraderie by bringing people together in local pubs and breweries. Brewing methods have evolved and improved as technology has advanced.

Consequently, we are drinking the best beers ever made today. This is because we now know more about chemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology.

1.1 PURPOSE/AIM OF THE STUDY

The primary goal of the study is to determine the impact of using an extract from the tropical hop bitter leaf (Vernonia Amygdalina) to prolong the shelf life of a locally produced millet beer.

The components utilised in the brewing industry are taken into account together with different analyses performed on beer samples in order to accomplish this goal.

Lastly, beer should have a suitable texture and composition to meet consumer demands and awareness of the negative effects of excessive beer consumption on the body.