Behind this patent is Ambar Triple Zero Probiotica and, above all, a challenge the brewer has managed to solve: keeping probiotics alive and stable for months without refrigerating the beer. The OEPM has recognized the novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability of this technology, which has resulted in an unusual patent: it is practically the only one granted for beer-based liquids in Spain so far this century.
The OEPM ruling concluded that no alcohol-free, sugar-free beer incorporating Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus coagulans spores, such as those used in the invention developed by Ambar, exists in the prior art. It also found that the solution achieved involved an inventive step, meaning it would not be obvious to an industry expert based on the knowledge available to date.
The key to the patent lies not simply in adding probiotics to beer. The breakthrough has been achieving their stability and viability for long periods inside a Triple Zero beer, without requiring refrigeration throughout its logistics chain.
THE CHALLENGE OF KEEPING PROBIOTICS ALIVE
According to the ruling itself, while the prior art reviewed showed significant losses in probiotic viability over time, the solution developed by Ambar has managed to maintain spore levels for nine months thanks to a specific 0.0-alcohol, zero-sugar formulation.
This scientific advance is the result of several years of research aimed at solving a seemingly contradictory challenge: how to add beneficial microorganisms to beer and ensure they are still present when consumers enjoy it.
The result is Ambar Triple Zero Probiotica, a 0.0-alcohol, zero-sugar, gluten-free beer containing one billion probiotics and representing a new generation of products capable of combining pleasure, flavor and food innovation.
For Antonio Fumanal, head of R&D at Cervezas Ambar, “the patent recognizes something very important: not only have we developed a beer with probiotics, but we have also found a way to keep them alive and stable over the long term inside a Triple Zero beer. That is where the invention that makes it possible for everyone to enjoy it truly lies.”
A PATENT ARRIVING AS CONSUMPTION CHANGES
The patent was also granted at a time of profound transformation in consumption habits. Consumers no longer see enjoyment as a choice between pleasure and well-being. They are looking for products that meet both desires at the same time.
Alcohol-free beer has been one of the clearest examples of this evolution. What represented a niche category decades ago has become one of the main drivers of innovation in the brewing sector and, according to Cerveceros de España, already accounts for around 14% of the national market.
Now, with this patent, Ambar believes a new world for beer has opened up globally, one capable of incorporating new functionalities without giving up the beer-drinking experience. This innovation is not about abandoning what makes beer unique, but precisely about expanding its possibilities.
FROM THE FIRST ALCOHOL-FREE BEER TO PROBIOTIC BEER
Ambar has more than 125 years of brewing history and has developed various innovations in recent decades, particularly in response to new forms of consumption.
Fifty years ago, the company launched Spain’s first alcohol-free beer. Since then, it has developed various advances in this category, including the world’s first 0.0 gluten-free beer and, more recently, the Triple Zero range, made without alcohol or sugar and available in different varieties tailored to new consumer preferences.
The granting of this patent has now added a new chapter to that history of applied research. As Ambar CEO Sergio Elizalde says, “this patent shows that even in a category with thousands of years of history, unexplored territory still exists. Our goal has always been to expand the limits of what beer can become without ceasing to be beer.”
