On January 9, the Technical Committee of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association organized academicians and experts to appraise two major scientific and technological achievements of Tsingtao Brewery.
At the appraisal meeting, several heavyweight experts attended, including Zhang Youming, foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and academician of the European Academy of Sciences; He Yong, secretary-general and deputy director of the technical committee of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association; Liu Long, vice president of Jiangnan University; Zhang Wujiu, rotating chairman of the technical committee of the beer branch of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association; Bai Shuowei, professor of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Qingdao University; and Yuan Yue, secretary-general of the beer branch of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association. The two achievements, "Creation and Application of Fresh Beer Full Life Cycle Preservation and Digital Supply Chain System" and "Key Technologies and Industrialization of High-Value Green Bio-manufacturing of Beer By-products (Saccharification Residue and Beer Yeast)," were recognized by the appraisal committee experts and have reached the international leading level.
This signifies that Tsingtao Brewery has established a research and development system that is consumer-demand-oriented, driven by technological innovation, and based on market validation, thereby accelerating the monetization of scientific and technological achievements.
Playing the technological innovation card well: a century-old enterprise's "technology marathon".
A scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting unveiled two scientific and technological achievements. These breakthroughs were not accidental; behind them lies Tsingtao Brewery's long-term strategic commitment to the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.
"Qingdao Brewery is not only a leader in both production volume and quality, but its status as the only national key laboratory for beer bio-fermentation engineering in the industry further demonstrates the company's technological leadership," said Zhang Youming, chairman of the appraisal committee, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an academician of the European Academy of Sciences.
Tsingtao Brewery's century-long history is also a history of technological innovation. From the "Tsingtao Brewery Operation Method," the introductory textbook for the Chinese beer industry, to being the only company in the industry to win the National Science and Technology Progress Award four times, Tsingtao Brewery has made breakthroughs in a series of core technologies, including fermentation strains, flavor control, nutrition and health, and green and low-carbon technologies. It has promoted the application of cutting-edge technologies such as green and low-carbon technologies and big data in the entire food and beverage industry chain, driving the entire industry chain to transform into a greener and more efficient value chain.
Full life-cycle technological protection keeps freshness on your palate
Consumer demand is the starting point for Tsingtao Brewery's technological innovation. The flavor of beer, especially its fresh and lively characteristics, has always been the key to judging quality. In today's diversified, personalized, and quality-oriented consumer demand, consumers are pursuing the ultimate fresh taste and instant gratification.
Tsingtao Brewery's technological achievement, "Creation and Application of a Digital Supply Chain System for the Whole Life Cycle Preservation of Draft Beer," is precisely designed to systematically address this challenge. Relying on the industry's only National Key Laboratory for Beer Bio-fermentation Engineering, this system, centered on a digital supply chain, achieves precise management of the beer storage environment through full-lifecycle monitoring and intelligent scheduling of draft beer, covering raw materials, production, warehousing, logistics, and ultimately, the sales terminal. This means that each bottle of draft beer possesses a "freshness profile," with its circulation path and environmental data recorded and optimized in real time, thereby maximizing the preservation of its flavor at the time of production and providing a new paradigm for improving the efficiency and resilience of the entire industry's supply chain.
The essence of this technological safeguarding lies in respecting beer as a "fresh product" and adhering to the natural laws of flavor. It doesn't reverse time, but it allows time to pass more gracefully. Thus, no matter when or where, when you raise a glass to taste it, what you experience is still that full aroma of hops, the sweet taste of malt, and the delicate foam that remains unchanged—technological innovation keeps the freshness on your tongue.
Technological achievements are being rapidly "monetized," paving a new path for industrial upgrading.
If preservation technology represents the ultimate pursuit of product quality, then the high-value utilization of brewing byproducts such as saccharification residues reflects Tsingtao Brewery's industry-leading vision and green commitment to the supply chain.
Saccharification residues and yeast proliferation products are the most significant solid byproducts of beer brewing, and their resource utilization has always had room for improvement. Driven by innovation in bio-manufacturing technology, Tsingtao Brewery has successfully transformed these high-quality byproducts into a series of high-value-added products, such as natural yeast extract and barley malt peptides. These products can be widely used in food flavoring, health products, and other fields, significantly improving resource utilization efficiency and achieving a value leap from "brewing byproducts" to "functional food ingredients."
Currently, this internationally leading key technology is being rapidly commercialized and transferred from the laboratory to the production line. Last November, the production base of Qingdao Beer Biotechnology Co., Ltd. officially started construction, extending the industry's boundaries from beer brewing to the bio-manufacturing track within Qingdao's "10+1" innovative industrial system.
The glass embodies craftsmanship and innovation. From the freshness of a drop of unpasteurized beer to the rebirth of saccharified grains, Tsingtao Brewery is demonstrating the vibrant application of "new quality productivity" in traditional industries through solid technological advancements. Ultimately, all these efforts lead to the peace of mind, satisfaction, and joy consumers experience when they raise their glasses.
