Lawrence Brewers Guild

We haven't talked much about the different Fermcap that is available. Seems like people are switching to Fermcap AT (canola oil) which does not contain silicone. Supposedly there was a FDA statement about Fercap S (silicone) should not be used in unfiltered beers. That would be us. I cant think of many homebrewers who filter beers. Denny Conn spoke with Birko and this is what was said....

"Brewers should not use silicone-containing antifoam for unfiltered beers. The FDA allows active silicone to be used up to 10 parts-per-million (ppm) but stipulates that the silicone must be removed prior to packaging by either filtration or centrifugation. In the case of unfiltered beers, use a food grade, non-silicone antifoam. We sell a food grade, canola oil based antifoam that works well for this purpose and has an added benefit of being yeast-friendly at the same time. Look for my article on antifoams in the brewery in the July/August issue of The New Brewer. Please contact me directly if you would like to discuss this or any other matter further."

Here are some interesting links discussing this issue further. From a personal standpoint when racking the stuff always sticks to the sides of the fermenter. Im not exactly worried about using the Fermcap S but just because of this thread Im going to look for the AT canola oil based version.

http://hbd.org/discus/messages/50162/50 ... 1304008514

Here is the spec from the manufacture of Fermcap. Notice it doesnt say a word about FDA but does indeed say:

FermCap is a unique emulsion of an extremely effective surface-active agent, which prevents foam formation by reducing surface tension. It is classified as a "process aid" because of its novel feature of being completely removed from the beer under normal processing conditions.

http://www.brewing-solutions.com/produc ... ails&id=10

Something to think about.

Look at you showing off your research capability. So silicone is bad as testimony of all the Boob jobs gone bad. How much of the old fermcap were you using, a drop or two? How much New fermcap is recommended, the same? Can one just use the same amount of Canola oil from the grocery store? And BTW It's time to order a new pot can you shoot me that link?
Cheers brother.
C

Did a quick search and didn't find AT for sale available to us. If you find something, please let us know.

Rob Martin wrote:Did a quick search and didn't find AT for sale available to us. If you find something, please let us know.

When I have time Im going to contact Birko and find out if they sell to homebrewers and if not if they know a place that will. I couldnt find the AT on their site but in the thread I linked to Dana noted they sell it.

Dana Johnson, Birko’s Brewery and Winery Specialist, at 800-525-0476 or email djohnson@birkocorp.com.

http://www.birkocorp.com/brewery/produc ... roduction/

If memory serves me correctly, up to 200 ppm of silicone is allowed by the FDA. Someone needs to run the math but I don't believe that we get even close with the few drops that we use.

Who knows what the FDA limit is for alcohol? Maybe we should stop brewing?

klickcue wrote:If memory serves me correctly, up to 200 ppm of silicone is allowed by the FDA. Someone needs to run the math but I don't believe that we get even close with the few drops that we use.

Who knows what the FDA limit is for alcohol? Maybe we should stop brewing?

Supposedly its 10 ppm as quoted from above info.

Blktre wrote:

klickcue wrote:If memory serves me correctly, up to 200 ppm of silicone is allowed by the FDA. Someone needs to run the math but I don't believe that we get even close with the few drops that we use.

Who knows what the FDA limit is for alcohol? Maybe we should stop brewing?

Supposedly its 10 ppm as quoted from above info.

This is what I used for information. It took awhile to find:
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... 5Tech1.pdf
Different type of silicone?

klickcue wrote:

Blktre wrote:

klickcue wrote:If memory serves me correctly, up to 200 ppm of silicone is allowed by the FDA. Someone needs to run the math but I don't believe that we get even close with the few drops that we use.

Who knows what the FDA limit is for alcohol? Maybe we should stop brewing?

Supposedly its 10 ppm as quoted from above info.

This is what I used for information. It took awhile to find:
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... 5Tech1.pdf
Different type of silicone?

5 Star is saying a 10% silicone. I wonder how much silicone is in the Fermcap S?

Who knows what the FDA limit is for alcohol? Maybe we should stop brewing? [/quote]

Supposedly its 10 ppm as quoted from above info.[/quote]

This is what I used for information. It took awhile to find:
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... 5Tech1.pdf
Different type of silicone?[/quote]
5 Star is saying a 10% silicone. I wonder how much silicone is in the Fermcap S?[/quote]

It doesn't make any difference since the limit is 200 ppm on the for FDA limit according to the link.

So figure 100% silicone and the few drops that we use per volume.

Somebody figured out the math in the link I posted.