Sicilian Whey: Utilization of Ricotta Whey in the Production of Value-Added Artisanal Beers

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Please find my detailed review report in the attached document

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Reviewer 1 Comments and Responses:

MATERIALS AND METHODS

L 87-90 How is the size of the farm, cheese production and breed of animals identified in this study? There is no indication of these factors in the results given in this article. Please identify these factors in the work. The relveance of these factors should peferably be identified through statistical modelling

 

Author Response: As noted these farms were of varying sizes, all produce Ragusano and Ricotta cheese.  The breeds are typical for the areas of Ragusa, the mix of breeds and number of each at each farm was not captured, and may vary year to year, so was not captured in this study.

 

L 114-134 How many times was the brew prepared? Please also identify more details about the scotta used in these productions. Was it a representative mix of Scotta from all Ricotta producers? How long was the Scotta stored prior to brewing? What kind of storage conditions were used on Scotta prior to brewing? Was there any randomization between the brewings, and was a control beer produced? (a brew that did not contain Scotta?)

 

Author Response: The scotta was obtained from an individual producer, stored refrigerated, and used within 24 hours. There were preliminary trials by the brewer to understand how to handle the scotta and what taste it imparted, but only the trials used to produce the beer for sensory work are reported in our study. The control beer used in the sensory analysis was a commercial beer in the market, not brewed by the brewer used for the scotta production.

 

L143-145 Please identify the size of the sensoral panels.

 

Author Response: There were 10 panelists.  This has been added to the manuscript

 

L152 Please identify when the evaluation was carried out? How old was the beer?

 

The beer was evaluated within 60 days of production, which is well within the shell-life of a commercial beer.  This has been added to the manuscript.

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

L167-168 Please clearify wether the “cheesemaking” refers to Ragusano cheese or Ricotta cheese

 

Author response: It refers to the the Ragusano cheese, we ave modified the manuscript to clarify this.

 

L180-188 Is the variation observerd between different farms significantly different? Are the differences also a consequence of farm size and herd breed?

 

Author response: Because of the differences in number samples per farm and the lack of data on # and mix of breed, this was not evaluated.  The data however is useful because it provides the industry with information on what levels of all these attributes are currently observed in the Ragusa area which has not been previously well documented and is different than other areas of Italy.

 

L187-188 insert the word “higher”

 

Author Response: Added

 

L211-223 Does this paragraph indicate the the authors recommend beer consumption for better bone health? And at the same time beer as a good source of K and Mg? Then it is probably of interest to mention the consequences of other nutrients as well? Like intake of sugar and alcohol?

 

Author Response: We note the levels of these minerals in the whey, and note that the levels of these minerals could be used for the production of better-for-beverages. This was before making, and we have clarified the language that these health benefits are relevant for non-alcoholic beverages, which hopefully be a future avenue of research.

 

L215 Remove “is”

 

Author Response: Removed

 

L218 Remove “n” from the word “int”.

 

Author Response: Removed

 

L265-267 When comparing with other brews – what is actually the reference, especially when it comes to sensorial characteristics?

 

Author Response:  To train the panelists on intensity for a given attribute is, a commercial Gose was used.  For Saltiness, the panelist were given the commercial Gose and to note that on the scale, the saltiness in the commercial Gose would be a 6 for reference when evaluating the other two beers.  Likewise the commercial Gose would be a 4 for Yeast Aroma for reference. These values have been added to Table 6.

 

CONCLUSION

The conclusion neatly sums up the findings of this work, and points out further investigations. The focus of health-conscious consumers seems somewhat misplaced, as beer in general is

not in that category of beverages. The bioeconomy of small-scale production and cooperation is more tempting for this kind of study

.

TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 2 and 3 The availability of these results would be easier if the significant differences were indicated. Is it also possible to add information about the size of the farm, cheesemaking method, and type of herd breed? Also consider if a table is the best way to present these data.

 

Author Response: As noted earlier because of the differences in number samples per farm and the lack of data on # and mix of breed, this was not evaluated.  The data however is useful because it provides the industry with information on what levels of all these attributes are currently observed in the Ragusa area which has not been previously well documented and is different than other areas of Italy.  It is a lot of data, but we feel the table is the best format in which to present the data.

 

Table 4 and 5 Please make sure that the tables are not divided over two pages. Each table should be fitted into one page.

 

Author Response:  Adjusted.

 

Figure 1 and 2 The sensory profile-diagram would be more informative for the effect of Scotta, if a reference product was added in the diagrams.

 

Author Response:  We have added the values for the beer used as reference for the scores into table 6.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study was well-designed, the manuscript well-written and the data results were discussed nicely and scientifically sound. 

Observations:

L22, Replace “examples” by “beers”

The research was focused on using the ricotta whey discard (scotta) in artesanal beer production in order to give value and offer options to cheese producers to revalorize the whey. There are few recent reports on beer production using whey, and the subject in this research is clearly stated as well its relevance to the field, particularly for the growing market of artisanal beers and low-scale cheesemaking producers. The authors considered the use of scotta in the production of a beer "milk stout", which also is made with lactose. Authors need to include a table with characteristics of the produced and commercial beers for comparison. The main objective of the research, which is to use the scotta in artisanal beer production, was clearly stated and conclusions consistent with the evidence and arguments presented. All cited references are appropriated to the subject. However, adding a table that includes physicochemical characteristics of the beers produced and commercial beers could improve the quality of the manuscript.

Author Response

Reviewer 2 Comments and Responses:

"L22, Replace ""examples"" by ""beers""

Author Response: Replaced

The research was focused on using the ricotta whey discard (scotta) in artesanal beer production in order to give value and offer options to cheese producers to revalorize the whey. There are few recent reports on beer production using whey, and the subject in this research is clearly stated as well its relevance to the field, particularly for the growing market of artisanal beers and low-scale cheesemaking producers. The authors considered the use of scotta in the production of a beer ""milk stout"", which also is made with lactose. Authors need to include a table with characteristics of the produced and commercial beers for comparison. The main objective of the research, which is to use the scotta in artisanal beer production, was clearly stated and conclusions consistent with the evidence and arguments presented. All cited references are appropriated to the subject. However, adding a table that includes physicochemical characteristics of the beers produced and commercial beers

could improve the quality of the manuscript."

Author Response: We have added a table with more information on the beers and added the values of the reference commercial beer for sensory evaluation to table 6.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Abstract. More results are needed for the produced beers.

Lines 69-76. Very general and simplified. It is well known that water is very important for beer production and beer quality. The addition of water in the form of whey is not so easy process. Specific high quality beers are directly associated with the water.

Lines 77-84. This is, in my opinion, the most important part of introduction. It proves that several similar studies are available in literature and some of them since 1980-1990. The authors should clearly describe why these studies had not application and why the present study is original.

Sensory analysis. Provide the number of evaluators.

Line 232. “is allowed to acidify the milk”. From pH values of the present study I cannot see any acidification.

Up to line 249, there is no discussion of the results in correlation with beer production. The high content of Ca, for example, is discussed as a positive, however, is this content favorable for beer? Please add discussion of the results in correlation with beer production.

Provide table and figures with the characteristics and chemical analyses of beers. It is very important to clarify that since it is the main product of the research.

Please explain how the specific ratio of scotta was selected for beer production.

Line 252. Please revise. There is no meaning. How did lactose affect that?

Line 260. “milk stout”. Milk or whey or scotta? Please correct.

 

The work is very preliminary. Some general comments and drawbacks of the study (the list is not limited in those presented but are some examples only)

1. There is no control sample in order to compare the products with something.

2. There is no monitoring of fermentation and specific chemical analysis of the fermented product in order to support publication in the present journal.

3. There is no chemical analyses of the unfermented wort in order to evaluate the fermentation efficiency.

4. There is no specific high quality and in depth analysis of the aroma compounds of the product but only a sensory evaluation.

5. As the work is presented the addition of scotta was only to replace water and to add calcium in the product. Where is the fermentation in all of that?

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor corrections

Author Response

Reviewer 3 Comments and Responses:

Lines 69-76. Very general and simplified. It is well known that water is very important for beer production and beer quality. The addition of water in the form of whey is not so easy process.

Specific high quality beers are directly associated with the water

Author Response:  Water quality and type (hard water vs soft water) has impacted beer styles of the ages, so adding Scotta in replacement could beneficial or determinantal, is an important point and we have added some more information to that pont.

Lines 77-84. This is, in my opinion, the most important part of introduction. It proves that several similar studies are available ir literature and some of them since 1980-1990. The authors should clearly describe why these studies had not application and why the present study is original.

Author response:  There is some previous work on whey utilization, but the whey used in those studies, is quite different in source and attributes than the scotta used in this project.  This project was funded by the EU to specifically investigate the use of this regional whey, Scotta,in beer, highlighting that both regional an international stakeholders view this research as important and novel.

Sensory analysis. Provide the number of evaluators.

Author response:  10 panelists were used, this has been added to the manuscript.

Line 232. "is allowed to acidify the milk". From pH values of the present study I cannot see any acidification.

 

Author response: This line was in attributed to the reference “Licitra, G., et al., Technology to produce Ragusano cheese: A survey. Journal of dairy science, 1998. 81(12): p. 3343-3349.” which notes that in Ragusano cheese making process, the milk is allowed to acidified using the bacteria all ready present.  From the data collected there is only a small drop in pH between milk and the whey, and there is high variability within and across farms. This line was more to note that there are high levels bacteria present in the whey before it used for Ricotta production, which then reduces their levels. We have tried to clarify this in the text.

 

Up to line 249, there is no discussion of the results in correlation with beer production. The high content of Ca, for example, is discussed as a positive, however, is this content favorable for beer? Please add discussion of the results in correlation with beer production.

 

Author response: Per the reviewers earlier comment on water in beer, we added information on mineral importance for beer to the introduction.  There was a concern that the use of scotta, with high calcium and minerals, would result in a stout that was too salty.  While saltiness was noted in the milk stout, it was low-to-moderate, and note as intense in saltiness as the Gose. We have added a line to the manuscript to note this.

 

Provide table and figures with the characteristics and chemical analyses of beers. It is very important to clarify that since it is thE main product of the research.

Author Response: We have added a table with the beer attributes, much of the information is already in the test.

Please explain how the specific ratio of scotta was selected for beer production.

Author Response: There were pretrial done by the brewer to ascertain what levels of scotta seemed palatable based on their experience of making beers.

Line 252. Please revise. There is no meaning. How did lactose affect that?

Author response:  Lactose is not fermentable by brewers yeast, thus it is not convert into ethanol, but remains in the final beer. Lactose, milk sugar, is semisweet and provides mouthfeel, which is why it has traditional been added to beer to create the milk stout style for many decades.  We have tried to clarify this in the manuscript.

Line 260. "milk stout". Milk or whey or scotta? Please correct.

Author response: the style of beer made is a milk stout, so it should read “Milk stout”. The scotta is providing the lactose that is typically added to the milk stout.   

The work is very preliminary. Some general comments and drawbacks of the study (the list is not limited in those presented but are some examples only)

1. There is no control sample in order to compare the products with

Author response: we have added the information on the reference beer used during the sensory analysis to table 6.

2. There is no monitoring of fermentation and specific chemical analysis of the fermented product in order to support publication in the present

Author response: We have added the table showing the starting and ending densities of fermentation as well as the pH.  We also have presented the final sugar analysis in the text.

3. There is no chemical analyses of the unfermented wort in order to evaluate the fermentation

Author response: In the above mentioned table we have included the calculation for the apparent degree of attenuation. It should also be noted, as already reported in the text, there were no simple sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose) detected in either beer, and the only disaccharides (lactose, maltose, sucrose) detected was lactose in the milk stout as expected.

4. There is no specific high quality and in depth analysis of the aroma compounds of the product but only a sensory

Author response: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is consumer potential for beers made with scotta, which is why human sensory rather than analytical sensory was focused on.  While not relevant for reporting in the paper, based on the results of this work, the brewer will be releasing a commercial Gose that use scotta into the Sicilian market place in the summer of 2024. Hopefully the data and results of this work will inspire other brewers to follow suit both in Italy and in other areas of the world with the whey available there.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Suggested corrections and comments have been taken into account, and the quality of the paper is improved

Author Response

Thanks for having read the revised paper.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Lines 92-99. There is no discussion in the novelty of the present study. Scotta is a different from greek yogurt whey, or other whey but in general is again whey. Please add more discussion here regarding novelty. “This project was funded by the EU to specifically investigate the use of this regional whey, Scotta,in beer, highlighting that both regional an international stakeholders view this research as important and novel.” The funding by EU does not prove anything. There are several EU project that have been funded with low novelty. Please add novelty in the text. This will further strengthen the quality of the work.

Sensory analysis. Provide the number of evaluators. Author response: 10 panelists were used, this has been added to the manuscript. However, please see line 295 “A trained sensory panel of 8 participants”. Please clarify.

The selection of the amount of scotta added, should be explained also in the text. “There were pretrial done by the brewer to ascertain what levels of scotta seemed palatable based on their experience of making beers.”

Line 130. Provide the details of malt used. Producer, commercial product? Etc. The same for hop samples.

I will insist that the work is preliminary due to the absence of control sample. Control sample is the same product but instead of whey water is added. Now the authors just compare the produced samples with commercial (only in sensory evaluation).

“The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is consumer potential for beers made with scotta, which is why human sensory rather than analytical sensory was focused on.” This is why I will recommend to the editor to accept the manuscript only in the form of short communication. There is lack of chemical analyses and control sample.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor corrections

Author Response

Lines 92-99. There is no discussion in the novelty of the present study. Scotta is a different from greek yogurt whey, or other whey but in general is again whey. Please add more discussion here regarding novelty. “This project was funded by the EU to specifically investigate the use of this regional whey, Scotta,in beer, highlighting that both regional an international stakeholders view this research as important and novel.” The funding by EU does not prove anything. There are several EU project that have been funded with low novelty. Please add novelty in the text. This will further strengthen the quality of the work

Author Response: There has been very little work looking at scotta, or even whey incorporation into specific beer styles.  There has been none looking at whey utilization in Milk stout or Gose beers, even though the attributes of these beers suggest that whey might be an acceptable ingredient.  This is new, novel data showing to brewers and product developers across the world that scotta, and likely other whey, can be successfully utilized in these styles. We have added a line to this effect in the section to further highlight the novelty of this work.

Sensory analysis. Provide the number of evaluators. Author response: 10 panelists were used, this has been added to the manuscript. However, please see line 295 “A trained sensory panel of 8 participants”. Please clarify.

Author Response. As previously responded it was 10 panelists, the 8 is a typo and has been corrected.

The selection of the amount of scotta added, should be explained also in the text. “There were pretrial done by the brewer to ascertain what levels of scotta seemed palatable based on their experience of making beers.”

Author Response: This context was added to the text in the materials and methods sections.

Line 130. Provide the details of malt used. Producer, commercial product? Etc. The same for hop samples.

Author Response: This information has been added.

I will insist that the work is preliminary due to the absence of control sample. Control sample is the same product but instead of whey water is added. Now the authors just compare the produced samples with commercial (only in sensory evaluation).

“The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is consumer potential for beers made with scotta, which is why human sensory rather than analytical sensory was focused on.” This is why I will recommend to the editor to accept the manuscript only in the form of short communication. There is lack of chemical analyses and control sample.

Author Response:  While we could have brewed versions of the Milk stout and Gose without scotta and used them in the sensory, the question would then arise on whether or not the control Milk stout and Gose we brewed were truly representative of the styles. To show that, we would then have needed to compare them to a commercial control that was in commerce and representative of the style. Hence it was better to go directly with a commercial control.