Principles of kettle finings, and helpful hints to maximize benefits
Our kettle fining (carrageenan) products are added to the wort in the kettle to enhance protein removal as the wort cools.
The active ingredient is a polysaccharide called kappa-carrageenan, which is derived from seaweed.
Carrageenan in solution is negatively charged which interact with positive regions on wort proteins, providing several benefits:
- Natural products which remove substantial quantities of haze-forming material without affecting head retention
- Produce brighter wort, reducing the amount of finings required later
- Decrease filter run times
- Increase rate of fermentation and attenuation
- Prolong colloidal stability in small pack beers
- Reduce process time
- Are processing aids (not additives - don’t require label declaration)
- Reduce loses by compacting sedimentation (both trub and cold-crash)
- 5-10% more efficient than competitive products
- Available as tablets and granules
Kettle finings are added towards the end of boil to allow the carrageenan to unfurl. Timing of the additions vary by product - for example Protafloc should be added 10 minutes before the end of the boil, whereas the more-refined and easier-unfurling Koppakleer is added at the end of the boil or start of whirlpool.
In solution at temperatures above 65°C (149°F) carrageenan has a random coil structure allowing it to stretch out and grab more proteins. As the wort cools, the carrageenan takes a much more compact and ordered helical structure, dragging the bound proteins and finer particles together to form aggregates. The aggregates, having a larger particle radius, then settle faster in the whirlpool or at a cold break during fermentation, to be removed along with the trub or excess yeast.
The removal of particles and protein from wort has been demonstrated by microscopic examination of pre-filtered beers and protein assay. As the levels of kettle finings increase, the fine particle counts in each of the size bands decrease – it is these fine particles below 2 microns that are mostly responsible for blinding filter pores.
The reaction between wort proteins and carrageenan is also pH dependent and occurs at an optimum pH of 5.3, The reaction does not occur below pH 4.4, so there will be little benefit from kettle finings at this pH or below.
Dosing is also key to maximizing their benefits, as summarized in the graphic below. If under-dosed, not enough material is removed from the wort leaving haze-causing compounds behind. If over-dosed, the negative charges on the carrageenan will begin to repel each other and lead to fluffy sediment – follow our optimization guide to learn how to dial in your rates.
Contact our Technical Sales Team to learn more, or for additional optimization support!