The sweet sound of fermentation

And yes, at this time of year you can be forgiven for imagining the light hiss and fizz of a cold bottle of beer being opened against the backdrop of a hot New Zealand summer. However, the importance of sound in liquids is often overlooked because we cannot hear it with our ears. Organisms living in liquids, however, commonly respond to sound.

The aim of the research, that has received $1 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Endeavour Fund, is not only to produce better beer but to improve other industrial fermentation processes. 

“Fermenting beer is a tiny fraction of the fermentation industry that is worth US$127 billion annually,” says Andrew of the industry that makes everything from beer to medicines and floor cleaners.

Holding joint appointments with the Institute of Marine Science and the School of Biological Sciences, Andrew and his colleagues Associate Professor Silas Villas-Boas and Dr Austen Ganley, are relishing the challenge of their multi-faceted research.

“Our aim is to untangle the complexity of sound energy, so it can be used in a highly effective manner to influence the production efficiency and profile of the fermentation end products in a commercially advantageous manner,” says Andrew. “Whether for industrial fermentation for making biofuels, or to deliver novel world beating-beers from New Zealand.”

As a marine biologist, one of Andrew’s many varied research interests is the biology of sound, and his previous research has seen him work with marine larvae whose metabolic functioning can be altered by sound. However, aside from having to breed, fertilise, incubate and hatch the eggs, the larvae are, as Andrew says “very fussy”, whereas yeast can be transferred and raised in otherwise sterile conditions and there is evidence that some sounds may alter the way they ferment – speeding up fermentation and altering the end products they produce, such as alcohol and other chemical by-products.

Working with yeast in this way also has other perks, and Andrew is not at all ashamed to say that sampling the end product of research is an enjoyable aspect to this body of work. But that’s not the only reason he is enjoying this research project.

The significance of being awarded the MBIE funding is not lost on Andrew, Silas and Austen, who know all too well about the “endless applications for funding that can be drudgery at times,” says Andrew. “We can actually do the research in a professional and sustained manner rather than cobbling it together with student projects.”

A highlight to his research is the collaboration with brewer Garage Project in conjunction with the NZ Symphony Orchestra that has created a fine symphonic Viennese lager by using underwater sound equipment; literally by lowering the sound system into the fermenter. There is also a dark ale brewed to the beat of death metal which produced an unusually high alcohol content of well over 10%. Andrew and his team monitor the beer to see if the music makes the beer ferment faster or impart better flavours and aromas. 

We’re glad you’re enjoying your work Andrew. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.