rgy, water, and caustic. Furthermore, substantial quantities of waste water are discharged. The use of non-returnable packaging material reduces consumption of energy, water, and caustic, therefore reducing waste water generation.If kegs are used, they are cleaned and sterilised with steam before filling.Bottle WashingBefore being filled with beer, the returned bottles are sent to a bottle washer which removes all impurities inside and outside. Inside the bottles, impurities include residual beer mould, cigarette butts, etc, externally; impurities may include labels, aluminum foil, and dust particles.Bottle washing is likely to consist of soaking, rinsing, sterilisation and re-rinsing.FillingThe bottles are transported on conveyor belts from the bottle washer to the filling machine. They are filled under pressure, according to the quantity of dissolved carbon dioxide in the beer.In addition to tilling bottles, the most important function of filling machines (which may take various forms) is to prevent oxygen coming into contact with the beer.CrowningAfter filling, the bottles are conveyed to the crowner, which fits them with crown corks. The sealed bottles are then conveyed to the tunnel pasteurizer.PasteurisingBeer is pasteurised to ensure a long shelf life, although there is increasing use of sterile filtration as an alternative. It is important that all micro-organisms capable of growing in the beer are destroyed. Pasteurisation guarantees practically unlimited biological stability.Two different methods are used for the pasteurisation of the beer: (a) Tunnel pasteurisation, during which the beer is pasteurised in bottles (or cans), i.e. both beer and bottle are pasteurised as a closed unit; (b) Flash pasteurisation, employing a heat exchanger in which the beer is pasteurised before it is put into bottles (or kegs).LabelingFollowing pasteurisation, the bottles are conveyed to the labeler. There labels and, in some cases, foil are appl...
