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 Microorganisms, including yeast, bacteria and molds

are present in large numbers in the environment.
Hundreds of different species of bacteria can be
isolated from air, soil, plants, animals, dust, malt,
hops, etc.

 A few that are implicated in the spoilage of beer can

cause food poisoning and probably bring about an
epidemic.

 It is imperative that these beer spoilage

microorganisms be detected in due time so that quick
and proper preventive and control measures can be
applied.
   c
 •
 •eer is an alcoholic beverage that is made by the brewing
and fermentation of malted grains especially barley though
other grains such as corn, rice, wheat, sorghum and oats are also
in use today. Usually, hops; small green, cone shaped flower
from the plant Humulus Lupulis are added to provide beer with a
spicy bitter flavor.

 •
 •eer Spoilage refers to any change that takes

place in the beer which results in an uncharacteristic flavor, odor
or appearance of the beer. Changes may be in the physical
features of the beer or probably in the flavor of the beer as a
result of spoilage.

 •
 
Vhese are undesirable changes in beer that are
not of microbial origin. Vhey are usually due to improper
manufacturing procedures
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¬ow pH (3.8 - 4.7)

Increasing alcohol content (around 4 ʹ 5%)
Anaerobic conditions
Reduced level of nutrients
Hop antiseptics

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?hysical Changes (Haze or Vurbidity in beer and

Ropiness)
Flavor Changes (Acidity, Diacetyl, DMS, ?henolic, Other
off flavors)
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 Ãram ?ositive •acteria
Ô ¬actic acid bacteria
Ãenus ¬actobacillus (Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus
lindneri, Lactobacillus acidophilus etc.)
Ãenus ?ediococcus (?ediococcus damnosus, ?ediococcus
inopinatus, ?ediococcus parvulus etc.)
Ô Ãenus Micrococcus (icrococcus kristinae)
Ô Ãenus •acillus

 Ãram Negative •acteria

Ô Acetic acid •acteria (|cetobacter pastorianus, Gluconobacter
oxydans)
Ô Enterobacteriaceae (Enterobacter agglomerans,
Obesumbacterium proteus, Rahnella aquatilis, Citrobacter
freundii etc.)
Ô Zymomonas spp. (Zymomonas mobilis)
Ô ?ectinatus spp. (?ectinatus frisingensis, ?ectinatus cerevisiiphilus)
Ô egasphaera spp.
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Vhe most common method is the traditional cultural
method.
m
 
m
 m
m
¬actic Acid •acteria De Man, Rogosa and Aerobic and Anaerobic
Sharpe (MRS)
Cinnamond Medium
Acetic Acid •acteria ¬ee͛s Multidifferential Aerobic
Agar
Enterobacteriaceae MacConkey Agar Aerobic
Zymomonas spp. Zymomonas Isolation Anaerobic
Enrichment •roth
?ectinatus spp. ¬actate ʹ ¬ead Acetate Anaerobic
Agar
egasphaera Raka-Ray Medium Anaerobic

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"
" # 



&! X X X Short to long thin rods X - -

# Slow X X Cocci ?airs or tetrads X - -
  X X - Rods, single or in chain - X -
 X - X Stubby rods usually in - X -
 chains

m!! X X - Short fat rods - X -



'$ Slow X - Rosettes of large - X -

plump rods

# - X X Slightly Curved Rods. - NA NA

Single or in ?airs

 - X X Cocci - NA NA

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m(m ()&*
m mm&m 
m
&! Acidic after taste, diacetyl Mash, pitching yeast, dirty equipment,
fermentation, conditioning, finished
product

# diacetyl ?itching yeast, dirty equipment,

fermentation, conditioning, finished
product

  ͞cooked vegetable͟ odor, Wort, early fermentation, (sensitive to

sulphur ethanol > 2% by weight)

 ͞parsnip͟ odor, diacetyl Wort, fermentation, pitching yeast

 (sensitive to ethanol > 2% by weight,
hop sensitive)

m!! Vinegar, turbidity and ropiness Wort, partially filled tanks

(where oxygen is present)

'$ Sulphur, acetaldehyde, ͞rotten •eer containing sugar (fructose or

apple͟ odor glucose) (insensitive to alcohol, hops
and low pH)

# Sulphur, acetic acid, ͞rotten Finished product lacking oxygen

egg͟ odor

 Sulphur, turbidity, ͞cheesy͟ Finished product lacking oxygen

odor

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 !$+ Vhis is based on restriction endonuclease digestion of bacterial

chromosomal DNA followed by Southern hybridization to probe for a coding
region of the 5S-16S-23S rRNA operon of Escherichia coli. Vhe probes have
been developed to hybridize with highly conserved regions of the rRNA
operon present in all eubacteria and can therefore be used for ribotyping
most bacteria.

 , # 
+Vhis technology is found to be applicable to the
identification of L. brevis, L. lindneri, L. paracollinoides and other beer-
spoilage ¬actic Acid •acteria species. ?CR tests have also been evaluated for
?ectinatus. In addition, intra-species genetic markers and species-
independent genetic markers have been reported in the beer brewing
industry. For example, the presence or absence of the hitA gene was found
to be capable of discriminating beer spoilage ability of L. brevis. On the
other hand, gyr• is regarded as a phylogenetic marker, which differentiates
the beer spoilage group of L. brevis from non-spoilage ones. Also, Vhe horA
and horC genes are highly specific genes to beer spoilage ¬actic Acid
•acteria at the strain level.
 ÷  ÷
$!-./ Vhis has been
adapted for identification of bacteria and this technology is
potentially available for the detection of targeted bacteria at the
single level. Vhe principle of FISH is essentially identical with that
of conventional hybridization methods. Vhe major difference is
that the probes directly hybridize with the target region of
nucleotides inside the bacterial cells without DNA extraction
procedures.

 &, .&#/+ Vhis is a nucleic

acid amplification method that reacts under isothermal
conditions and produces large amount of DNA. Vhe ¬AM? method
requires a set of four specifically designed primers and a DNA
polymerase with strand displacement activity. Vhe amplification
products are stem-loop DNA structures with several inverted
repeats of the target and cauliflower-like structures with multiple
loops.
    
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 Elimination of all possible sources of contamination.

Ô?roper sterilization of all equipment before the
brewing process.
Ô?roper handling of raw material to reduce all risk of
contamination by the beer spoilers.
 Use of techniques that are capable of rapidly
determining low numbers of contaminant organisms
before any harm is done
 Ensuring proper aseptic techniques where necessary
 Ensuring that the production process is foolproof
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Vhe growth of microorganisms in beer will lead to

damaging changes to the excellent properties of beer.
Microorganism development can occur at each step of the
production process, and later in the packaged product.
Consequently, consumption of spoilt beer is a ready
source of infectious diseases, illness and ultimately death.
Vhe ?roper identification of these beer spoilers will help in
making wise choices of control methods and even
preventive methods. Vhis will assist in the prevention of
diseases brought about by consumption of spoilt beer.

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