1. Introduction: overview of world brewing industry
In the food industry, the brewing sector holds
a strategic economic position with the annual world
beer production exceeding 1.34 billion hectolitres in
2002 [1]. Beer is the fifth most consumed beverage in the
world behind tea, carbonates, milk and coffee and it
continues to be a popular drink with an average
consumption of 23 litres/person per year. The brewing
industry has an ancient tradition and is still a dynamic
sector open to new developments in technology and
scientific progress. However, this market hides an
important heterogeneity of production capacity [2,3];
for example in 2002, the world’s 10 largest brewing