Metals

Metals are a natural part of environment and so they circulate in the food chain. Some of metals are beneficial to human’s health (e.g., Na, K, Ca, Mg).

Those heavy metals which are harmful, are those listed in a group of contaminants with a possible toxic effect. The most significant to health are lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium and mercury. These substances may appear in beer raw materials and additives and be partly distributed to beer. With respect to their toxicity, the limit of the concentration is stipulated very strictly and is monitored. Besides volume control of metals in beer, controls of raw materials (wort, malt, water), intermediates (spent grain, wort, waste yeast), and other materials which get in touch with beer during the production (particularly kiselguhr, detergents, etc.) are performed.