Commercial brewing: what defines cold break efficiency and is it real?

[Finlandbrews]

I read the importance of cold break (in the course on Brewing from the IBD ) as a clarification method which is very important as trub is said to be very detrimental for quality of beer in commercial operations if it ends in the FV. However, the only thing which is told regarding the cold break efficiency is "the colder the temperature, the more break will be formed" and "cold break is formed below 70 Celsius".

However, there is no mention on the speed required for the cold break... My question is therefore: if speed doesn't matter why do we talk about cold break as a clarification method at all because we have to chill the wort anyway for pitching? Also, isn't the speed of cooling more important to prevent time under which contamination could occur?

I know cloudwater chills the beer after boil to about 16 Celsius although their fermentation temp is 20 celsius. So, beside giving a faster fermentation by a natural increase in temperature fermentation, is it posssible they chill that low for better cold break meaning wort clarification?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Couldn't tell ya about commercial breweries but I suck up every bit of cold break into the fermenter and it has zero effect on the finished product. Plus I get more beer as I don't leave more than a shot glass of wort in the BK. I make a crystal clear pilsner. Has no effect on clarity

Some have said its actually beneficial to transfer the cold break. Something about the proteins helping the yeast...I never really looked into so have no info to support that

 

[Dcpcooks]

I've brewed a few times with buddies that work at commercial breweries. The process is after boil they begin to whirlpool for 20 min or so and when that is complete they knock out through a plate chiller to the FV. The whirlpool is really for collecting hot break, and trub in a center mass to be left in the bk. They are not really looking to separate cold break from the transfer.

They may bottom dump the conical but usually they just pitch once they are at pitching temps.