Stefan Pieczonka awarded Henrich-Funke-Pschorr-Foundation prize

A Deep Look into the Beer Universe

Brewing industry honors research on the characterization of beer ingredients with the Henrich-Funke-Pschorr Prize

Berlin, June 22, 2023. Rarely has the decision for an awardee been as unanimous as this year: among several outstanding applications, the work of Stefan Pieczonka stood out in particular. In his dissertation titled "Comprehensive Characterization of Beer and Brewing Metabolome," he developed an analytical strategy to make the complex composition and molecular diversity of beers visible and interpretable. Traditional analytical investigations have mainly focused on individual compounds and groups of substances. In contrast, modern methods pursue an untargeted, holistic approach that can simultaneously capture thousands of molecules. They promise to answer still unresolved questions about brewing at the comprehensive molecular level. The entirety of all compounds in a biological system is summarized under the term "metabolome."

 

For the advisory board of the German Brewing Industry Research Foundation, which selected the new recipient of the Henrich-Funke-Pschorr Foundation Prize, the decision was quickly made: Stefan Pieczonka succeeded in his work, using state-of-the-art analytical techniques and detection methods, as well as computer-assisted analysis systems, to delve deeply into the complex composition of our beers. A milestone comparable to the view of the Hubble Space Telescope into the universe – in this case, the beer universe. It encompasses not only the known but also the unknown, which is captured, characterized, and interconnected in so-called molecular networks and evaluated.

 

Among other achievements, the awardee succeeded in describing and tracing the nature of a historic beer over 130 years old. This beer, originating from the German Imperial era, was brewed in Lübbecke in Ostwestfalen. Its chemical composition represents a unique source of brewing culture in the late 19th century. Various production steps of the brewing process could be traced, and a comparison with 400 modern beers revealed the signature of a typical lager beer brewed according to the purity law valid at that time. Technological aspects such as the type of malt processing, filtration, and the use of the recently developed refrigeration machine were analytically traceable as well. As a unique opportunity, the historical beer could also be analyzed and evaluated regarding chemical changes occurring over decades in a sealed mixture.

 

The 10th award ceremony of the Henrich-Funke-Pschorr Foundation Prize could take place on the grand stage again after a pandemic-induced pause, as part of the German Brewers' Day. In his laudation, Dr. Stefan Kreisz, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Science Promotion, referred to Stefan Pieczonka's doctoral work in the field of analytical brewing science as particularly innovative and forward-looking. In practice, these holistic analytical approaches could be used to comprehensively characterize beers and brewing processes, conduct quality and authenticity tests, including health-related parameters, precisely determine deviations, and also support targeted product and process developments.

The complexity of Dr. Stefan Pieczonka's doctoral work is also evident in the fact that it was supervised by two doctoral advisors, Prof. Dr. Michael Rychlik and Prof. Dr. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, carried out simultaneously at two research institutions, the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum München. The doctoral work can be accessed online here.

The awarding of the Henrich-Funke-Pschorr Foundation Prize takes place biennially as part of the German Brewers' Day. The foundation, established in 1901, is named after three brewing personalities: Karl Friedrich Henrich, Rudolf Funke, and August Pschorr, all three distinguished presidents of the German Brewers' Association. The foundation's mission is to recognize young brewing scientists whose work has proven particularly valuable for practical application. Further information about the Henrich-Funke-Pschorr Foundation Prize and the previously awarded recipients can be found on the website of the German Brewing Industry Research Foundation: www.wifoe.org

Pressmitteilung freundlich zur Verfügung gestellt von:

Nina Göllinger (Pressesprecherin)

Deutscher Brauer-Bund e.V.

Tel.: 030/209167-16

E-Mail: goellinger@brauer-bund.de

 

 

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