Detection of spoilage yeasts in beer and soft drinks

The biotechnology company now offers two new real-time PCR tests for the detection of the most important spoilage yeasts in beer, alcoholic mixed beverages and soft drinks: the foodproof® Spoilage Yeast Detection 1 + 2 LyoKits.

Spoilage yeast contamination can affect quality and taste of beverages, resulting in recalls and brand damage for beverage producers. In extreme cases yeast spoilage can even lead to “blown cans” or exploding bottles. Particular genera are considered obligatory spoilage yeasts, e.g. Dekkera/Brettanomyces, Zygosaccharomyces and Saccharomyces. The foodproof Spoilage Yeast Detection 1 LyoKit comprehensively detects and quantifies all species belonging to these three yeast genera.

Additionally, several specific species are able to spoil beverages. With the foodproof Spoilage Yeast Detection 2 LyoKit, detection of these species can be accomplished in one single test. This includes Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Kazachstania exigua and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Differentiation between Kazachstania exigua and Schizosaccharomyces pombe is possible through melting curve analysis.

All kinds of brewing and soft drink samples ranging from in-process controls to environmental samples and final product can be efficiently analyzed with both kits. This includes beer, carbonated beverages, alcoholic mixed drinks and flavor concentrates.

All foodproof LyoKit reagents are lyophilized, the user must only add the DNA extract. The kits thus offer maximum convenience due to reduced pipetting steps and at the same time lower the risk of cross-contamination. In addition, they provide a higher sensitivity due to an increased sample volume and easier transport and storage.

With the foodproof® StarPrep Two Kit, the company offers a kit optimized for DNA extraction from yeast, which is suitable for various kinds of beverages. DNA suitable for real-time PCR analysis can be extracted in less than 30 minutes. Erroneous detection of dead microorganisms in PCR can be avoided by using Reagent D.