She managed to assert herself in scientific competition and succeeded with her lecture on the use of membrane processes in the brewing industry. Karolína Jastřembská, a PhD student at the Institute of Environmental and Chemical Engineering of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, received the award for the best lecture at the MEMPUR 2017 Conference.
At the end of May and in early June, the Faculty of Chemistry held the national conference "Membrane Processes for Sustainable Development - MEMPUR 2017". Your lecture was awarded the prize for the best lecture. How do the beer and the woman go together?
The truth is I don’t drink beer much (laughs). I entered the research field when our institution was approached in the middle of my follow-up study by a company that saw a great potential in the use of membrane processes not only in the brewing industry but also in other areas such as the food industry and the dairy sector. I started working on this topic in my diploma thesis.
So will the number of alcoholics decrease?
Probably not. When someone asks me about my research, the first questions are, "Why are you engaged in this? What are we going to drink now?"
I suppose a good non-alcoholic beer.
You could say that. The production process should make the properties similar to classic alcoholic beer.
What did you talk about in your lecture?
It focused on the basic overview of membrane processes in brewing and where they can be applied.
Can you describe the process of dealcoholization of the golden drink?
The methods can be divided into two groups. Biological methods and physical methods. Biologic methods in particular use specially prepared brewer's yeast to produce as little alcohol (ethanol) as possible. Physical methods process beer that has undergone a traditional process, thus processing the final product in which alcohol is removed by physical methods. These can be thermal processes, such as vacuum distillation. In both cases, however, the problem is that the good properties of beer can be damaged and, ultimately, the product obtained varies in colour, smell and taste. This is a pitfall of existing processes.
Most of us know how non-alcoholic beer tastes. Although its taste is improving, we still have a lot to do in this area to get closer to the classic flavour. There is a great demand for developing new approaches and methods to dealcoholize the "liquid bread" so that the good taste, smell and appearance are preserved. In short, to do our best for the consumer's satisfaction.
Which method is more suitable?
As for the process itself, we have to consider more things from a technological point of view. If we take into account the "beer drinkers", the taste is the most important for them. From this perspective, biological methods have the greatest use in obtaining a beverage that is similar to classic beer. Heat treatment removes alcohol, but unfortunately also other substances important for taste and smell. Each method has its pros and cons. Also important is the cost of the production process.
Do you cooperate with any brewery?
Negotiations are currently taking place. I hope that this cooperation will happen in the future.
You certainly engaged the attention of the experts and lay people present. What did you come up with?
I think it was the topic what engaged their attention. The lecture room was full and the lecture was a great interest. Many people have no idea how non-alcoholic beer is made, so I presented the possibilities of its production to the audience. Since the lectures are time-limited, I had a poster with experimental data to complement my presentation.
Membrane processes have been researched and used for many years, yet they are used sporadically in the brewing industry, in particular for stabilizing the parameters of water entering the brewing process. Membrane processes are remarkable for the fact that higher temperatures are not used to remove ethanol, thus there is no thermal damage to the substances. I am still working with model solutions that contain selected aromatic substances. In my research, I focus on the separation of these aromatics and the study of the influence of process parameters on the separation. The results of the research can also be used in other areas, for example in the field of waste water from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Thanks to membrane processes, they can be processed to allow organic solvents to regenerate, which will of course have a positive impact on the environment.
I would also like to emphasize that the conference was co-organized with our faculty by the Czech Membrane Platform, thanks to which the membrane processes in the Czech Republic are developing. The Platform organizes various workshops, meetings, and even a conference of European significance - MELPRO. I also allow myself to say that it also greatly supports students. Thanks to the helpfulness of the Platform's staff, I was a member of the organizing team of the international meeting EMS Summer School.
Who is your mentor?
My supervisor is Professor Mikulášek. And Dr. Jiránková is my trainer specialist. I consult all my research with them. At present, cooperation with the Technical University in Bratislava is also being established, where we deal with the mathematical modelling of the said separation.
Do you want to continue working at the faculty after the completion of doctoral studies?
As a postgraduate student, I have had the opportunity to be the head of laboratories. I would like to go on a foreign internship and gain further experience in the field of membrane processes and mathematical modelling. Then, we will see how cooperation with industry develops.
What would you advise students if they want to be successful too?
You have to work on yourself. You can also graduate from a university by slavishly memorizing everything. I firmly believe that even nowadays there are students who are interested in the field and do not go to the school just because of the degree. I have always met with a very helpful attitude at our faculty. When teachers see that students are interested in the issue they are always ready to help. Also, in the framework of the study, I recommend presenting research at conferences, both domestic and international. You can meet very interesting people who can motivate you to work further and advise you when you grope in the dark and are at your wits' end.
She managed to assert herself in scientific competition and succeeded with her lecture on the use of membrane processes in the brewing industry. Karolína Jastřembská, a PhD student at the Institute of Environmental and Chemical Engineering of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, received the award for the best lecture at the MEMPUR 2017 Conference.
At the end of May and in early June, the Faculty of Chemistry held the national conference "Membrane Processes for Sustainable Development - MEMPUR 2017". Your lecture was awarded the prize for the best lecture. How do the beer and the woman go together?
The truth is I don’t drink beer much (laughs). I entered the research field when our institution was approached in the middle of my follow-up study by a company that saw a great potential in the use of membrane processes not only in the brewing industry but also in other areas such as the food industry and the dairy sector. I started working on this topic in my diploma thesis.
So will the number of alcoholics decrease?
Probably not. When someone asks me about my research, the first questions are, "Why are you engaged in this? What are we going to drink now?"
I suppose a good non-alcoholic beer.
You could say that. The production process should make the properties similar to classic alcoholic beer.
What did you talk about in your lecture?
It focused on the basic overview of membrane processes in brewing and where they can be applied.
Can you describe the process of dealcoholization of the golden drink?
The methods can be divided into two groups. Biological methods and physical methods. Biologic methods in particular use specially prepared brewer's yeast to produce as little alcohol (ethanol) as possible. Physical methods process beer that has undergone a traditional process, thus processing the final product in which alcohol is removed by physical methods. These can be thermal processes, such as vacuum distillation. In both cases, however, the problem is that the good properties of beer can be damaged and, ultimately, the product obtained varies in colour, smell and taste. This is a pitfall of existing processes.
Most of us know how non-alcoholic beer tastes. Although its taste is improving, we still have a lot to do in this area to get closer to the classic flavour. There is a great demand for developing new approaches and methods to dealcoholize the "liquid bread" so that the good taste, smell and appearance are preserved. In short, to do our best for the consumer's satisfaction.
Which method is more suitable?
As for the process itself, we have to consider more things from a technological point of view. If we take into account the "beer drinkers", the taste is the most important for them. From this perspective, biological methods have the greatest use in obtaining a beverage that is similar to classic beer. Heat treatment removes alcohol, but unfortunately also other substances important for taste and smell. Each method has its pros and cons. Also important is the cost of the production process.
Do you cooperate with any brewery?
Negotiations are currently taking place. I hope that this cooperation will happen in the future.
You certainly engaged the attention of the experts and lay people present. What did you come up with?
I think it was the topic what engaged their attention. The lecture room was full and the lecture was a great interest. Many people have no idea how non-alcoholic beer is made, so I presented the possibilities of its production to the audience. Since the lectures are time-limited, I had a poster with experimental data to complement my presentation.
Membrane processes have been researched and used for many years, yet they are used sporadically in the brewing industry, in particular for stabilizing the parameters of water entering the brewing process. Membrane processes are remarkable for the fact that higher temperatures are not used to remove ethanol, thus there is no thermal damage to the substances. I am still working with model solutions that contain selected aromatic substances. In my research, I focus on the separation of these aromatics and the study of the influence of process parameters on the separation. The results of the research can also be used in other areas, for example in the field of waste water from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Thanks to membrane processes, they can be processed to allow organic solvents to regenerate, which will of course have a positive impact on the environment.
I would also like to emphasize that the conference was co-organized with our faculty by the Czech Membrane Platform, thanks to which the membrane processes in the Czech Republic are developing. The Platform organizes various workshops, meetings, and even a conference of European significance - MELPRO. I also allow myself to say that it also greatly supports students. Thanks to the helpfulness of the Platform's staff, I was a member of the organizing team of the international meeting EMS Summer School.
Who is your mentor?
My supervisor is Professor Mikulášek. And Dr. Jiránková is my trainer specialist. I consult all my research with them. At present, cooperation with the Technical University in Bratislava is also being established, where we deal with the mathematical modelling of the said separation.
Do you want to continue working at the faculty after the completion of doctoral studies?
As a postgraduate student, I have had the opportunity to be the head of laboratories. I would like to go on a foreign internship and gain further experience in the field of membrane processes and mathematical modelling. Then, we will see how cooperation with industry develops.
What would you advise students if they want to be successful too?
You have to work on yourself. You can also graduate from a university by slavishly memorizing everything. I firmly believe that even nowadays there are students who are interested in the field and do not go to the school just because of the degree. I have always met with a very helpful attitude at our faculty. When teachers see that students are interested in the issue they are always ready to help. Also, in the framework of the study, I recommend presenting research at conferences, both domestic and international. You can meet very interesting people who can motivate you to work further and advise you when you grope in the dark and are at your wits' end.
