Brewer SABMiller has begun using South African company SurePure’s milk photopurification technology, which cuts down on energy costs by using ultraviolet light instead of heat to purify liquids during the brewing process, according to a report at SouthAfrica.info.

The collaboration between the two companies has led to commercial production of a lager brand that uses UV in the brewing process, doubling the shelf life of conventionally brewed beer, the report said.

Photopurification is an environmentally friendly alternative to pasteurization and chemicals, using short-range ultra violet light to purify microbiologically sensitive liquids such as wine, milk and fruit juice.

In a separate report, SurePure announced that it is distributing its photopurification technology to the dairy industry throughout sub-Saharan Africa, according to a press release published in WallStreetJournal.com.

SABMiller’s Flavored Alcoholic Beverage Brewery brews 11 products using an ambient brewing process involving photopurification – a world first – Sure Pure said in a statement earlier this month.

Sure Pure claims that research shows ultraviolet processing in SABMiller’s packaging plant eliminates the need for pasteurization or preservatives.

Studies on beer packaged in clear glass also found that using UV photopurification replaces costly filtration processes.

“This is the first time in the history of brewing that this technology has been applied to the brewing process,” said SurePure senior marketing executive Steve Miller.

“SurePure’s technology significantly differs from the existing technology being used by SAB,” Miller said. “It uses light instead of heat to purify beer and other brewed products, including finished product, something no other UV technology can accomplish.”

The technology is a first in that it is effective on both clear and turbid liquids, the report said.

SurePure is a game-changer in brewing and can help reduce energy and water costs, as well as improve quality, said master brewer Craig Groeneveld.

“The global brewing implications are enormous if SurePure finds the resources to exploit them,” he said.