Ferm Cap

I've only ever used it on my infant son to help with gas pains.

Given that simethicone has a specific gravity of 0.98-0.995 (depending on which source you believe), I'm not sure how it could possibly 'settle out' in beer with FG >1.00#

Not arguing that it negatively impacts beer in any way, since there're plenty of testimonials to the contrary and it's not a product I've ever had cause to use... just skeptical about the claim that it settles like a fining agent. If anything, I'd think it floats in a layer on the surface and remains there unless you inadvertently siphon off that surface layer.

 

I have used Ferm Cap in my primary (added it just after pitching the yeast). There is quite a bit of 'agitation' that occurs during fermentation. Given this dynamic action I have a difficult time envisioning that Ferm Cap just "floats on the surface". There has to be considerable mixing due to the fermentation action from my way of thinking.

Cheers!

 

Sure, Jack. But - if I add olive oil to boiling water... there is significant agitation and mixing, until the boiling stops. Then, all the now-tiny droplets of oil float again to the surface.

Silicone oils (e.g. polydimethylsiloxanes) are chemically quite different from the fatty acids in olive oils, but the point is the same, I think.

 

So, if this was just a fluid suspension of wort and simethicone, the layers would separate out due to the difference in specific gravity after a long enough time regardless of agitation. BUT, this isn't just wort, there are a bunch of yeast cells in suspension (hopefully). Now, yeast generally doesn't want to flocculate due the Debye radius of repulsive force generated by the like charges of the yeast cell walls; however, yeast DO flocculate because the kinetic energy of the movement of the cells due to convection currents and Brownian motion in solution allow the cells to get closer to each other than the Debye radius theoretically allows, and Van der Waals forces between the hydrophobic cell membranes cause attraction and flocculation.

But what does this have to do with simethicone? Simethicone is essentially a silicon dioxide copolymer with a bunch of methyl groups attached. This causes sufficient charge shielding AND additional sites for Van der Waals attraction between the cell surface and the copolymer resulting in extremely efficient flocculation of cells as a result of a polymeric flocculant (i.e. simethicone/Ferm cap). Since the polymer is now bonded to a floc of yeast cells, it too will fall out of solution instead of floating to the surface as a thin, seperate layer.

TLDR: The Ferm Cap will flocculate out of solution with the yeast because of the fancy surface chemistry of yeast cells that are also present in beer instead of just floating to the surface.

 

Thank you for taking the time to provide the science which corroborates the statement of: "...compound settles out and remains behind when the beer is racked."

Cheers!

 

I don't know DF…FermCap only lasts a few days at best. There seems to be some sort of degradation or physical change that occurs…

Edit: or what ^^^ said...

 

Hahahahahahahahahhaha, how's yer boy now?.. Good one.

I do not use this product so have no comment,,,,,, lol.

 

@daem3384 Damn, I was sure the answer was going to be vertically biased quantum tunneling.

Curious...what do you do for a living if you don't mind sharing?

 

Alright, then.Color me better-educated on the subject.

#youhadmeatvanderwaals

cheers!

 

I was thinking of applying the geometric equivalent, but I'll stick to farming, lol.

 

I'm a process development engineer for a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, so I get how cells interact with stuff relatively well.

 

We engineers need to 'stick together'.

Pun intended!!

Cheers!