There has been a lot of debate about the benefits and dangers of beer lately. This is definitely a natural drink and contains a significant proportion of alcohol, which is addictive. In addition, it is beer that changes the hormonal balance in the human body, producing estrogens.
Beer is perhaps the most famous low-alcohol drink. There are even ratings of countries that consume this drink the most in a year.
The beer base is made up of the following components:
- water, - carbohydrates, - carbon dioxide, - yeast, - ethyl alcohol and substances containing nitrogen.
Of course, these are just the main ingredients, but there are over 1000 beer recipes, with various compounds and additives.
Natural drink
Since ancient times, according to European tradition, barley was the basis for beer, but now beer is brewed on other representatives of cereals, for example, such as rice or corn. There is even banana and milk beer, but these are more specific drinks that are in limited demand.
Such a natural drink as beer is obtained through the fermentation of plant materials in the form of hops, malt, brewer's yeast, of course, with the addition of water. All of these components give rise to a chemical reaction. It should be noted that the herb - hops - is used not only for brewing beer, but also for baking bread.
In addition to the main components, the following elements are included in small doses of beer:
- salts of organic acids, - mineral compounds and vitamins of malt, which have a great effect on the assimilation of the product, - estrogens, which in turn affect the hormonal background of a person.
Useful and not very
Nitrogen compounds in beer are necessary for its full flavor, foam formation and other physical and chemical processes. But the presence of oxygen in beer will negatively affect its durability, so its content in beer should be minimal, about 0.35 milligrams per liter of beer, how much oxygen is released as a result of the reaction is carefully monitored by technologists.
If there is an excess of oxygen, the beer will spoil very quickly.
The main useful substance in beer is considered to be phenolic compounds, thanks to which the body receives antioxidants, as well as these compounds help prevent the formation of blood clots, and have a bactericidal effect. And the features of brewer's yeast are even used by cosmetologists, who believe that they smooth out wrinkles and help fight acne. In addition, it is recommended to rinse the hair with brewer's yeast so that it grows well and has a strong root structure.
