Beer Quality Control

Game‑changing suite of detection tools

Empowering a proactive approach to quality at your brewery

Product quality is essential to ensuring brand integrity

The brewing industry has grown exponentially over the past decade with new entrants crowding the market. Today more than ever, due to the variety of beer styles and brewing complexity, quality management has become a critical differentiator. The need for accurate, actionable information during production and post-packaging is essential to maintain quality and protect brand image.

Traditional quality testing methods, if implemented properly, can identify issues, but they fail to do so quickly and efficiently. Delayed information leads to reactive quality decisions made after the damage has been done. Additionally, these technologies typically require cumbersome work flows that are costly and complicated to use. Also, test results can be ambiguous with regard to the spoilage risk of a particular microorganism. Addressing spoilage organisms in real-time is critical to avoid facility contamination, product holds, or shipping beer at risk.

Proven platforms deliver accuracy, speed, and sensitivity

For over a decade, Invisible Sentinel has been committed to providing game-changing technologies for microbial detection for the food and beverage industries. By partnering with leading breweries around the world and focusing on innovation, Invisible Sentinel has developed leading microbial detection tools specifically designed for beer producers. Veriflow and Veripro are Invisible Sentinel’s two technology platforms used to power our molecular detection tools for the brewing industry.

Veriflow is the company’s core platform that combines proven diagnostic principles for microbial detection with new, innovative, first-in-class scientific approaches. Veriflow is a robust, highly accurate, and user-friendly molecular detection system using DNA Signature Capturing Technology. brewPAL and the complete Veriflow-based portfolio of products target a wide variety of organisms and can be used throughout the brewing process, in finished products and for environmental testing. These products offer simplicity, robustness and affordability.

Veripro, and specifically brewPRO for the beer industry, incorporates key elements of the core technology, Veriflow, into assays compatible with RT-PCR instruments. This platform enables multiplexed assays and the capacity for high throughput analyses. This system also provides risk-based detection and characterization while maintaining the robustness, ease of use and cost effectiveness of our Veriflow-based products.

Each assay incorporates the same market-leading robustness, speed to results and ease of use – and have been uniquely designed to meet the unique needs of various beer producers.

Integrates into the brewing process

All of Invisible Sentinel’s beer products provide onsite detection of spoilage organisms at any stage of production and in any style of beer. These technologies have been validated in a wide variety of matrices, even the most complex, and can therefore provide valuable information about the presence and persistence of organisms throughout the brewing process.

Ingredients
Detect organisms even in high bio-mass samples like yeast slurries

Fermentation
Pinpoint problematic bacteria even before high krausen of fermentation can be reached

Bright tanks
Verify beer quality before wasting valuable time and packaging materials

 

Packaged product
Provide a definitive quality assurance measure before product release

Facility
Identify bacterial contamination to implement targeted hygiene protocols

brewPAL and the Veriflow-based product portfolio

Robust and user-friendly system to improve quality process and ensure brand integrity

The Veriflow-based portfolio of detection tools can be used in multiple applications and styles of beer. Each product in the portfolio targets a detrimental beer spoiler that, if undetected during production, can impact product quality and brand reputation. The portfolio includes tests targeting a wide variety of organisms such as Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Wild Yeast, Saccharomyces diastaticus, Megasphaera and Pectinatus.

The system is comprised of a small, customized Thermocycler, pre-aliquoted PCR reagent tubes and proprietary buffers. Semi-quantitative results are obtained in less than 4 hours via hand-held disposable cassette and quantitative results can be tracked, stored and exported via the Veriflow Reader. This portfolio of products is ideally suited for both regional craft and microbreweries – with a modest capital investment and affordable per-test cost.

This product portfolio offers brewers several benefits and will transform the way you manage quality at your brewery.

• Powered by Veriflow – proven DNA signature capturing technology
• Sample to results in under 4 hours
• Accurate, sensitive and specific for the most detrimental beer spoilers
• Simple and cost effective deployment at your brewery
• Numerous products for multiple applications and styles of beer
• Allows timely product release and proactive monitoring of in-process beer and facility conditions

Product	Benefits of Using the Product
Hop-Resistant Pediococcus and Lactobacillus	“brewPAL is robust enough to detect Pediococcus and Lactobacillus, even in high bio-mass samples like yeast slurries that may be re-used for multiple generations and brews.“ Mike Guilford, Production Manager, Russian River Brewing Company
Lactic Acid-Producing Microbes	“Bringing the brewPAL and brewLAP microbial detection system into our brewery is one of the best purchases we have made for our quality assurance testing program. The ability to detect lactic acid bacteria is very important to us in all of the beverages we produce, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Having data in a timely fashion allows for better decision making, resulting in improved quality, and less loss.” Rebecca Brandenburg, Director of Quality, The Lion Brewery, Inc.
Brettanomyces/Dekkera species	“We use Invisible Sentinel’s tests in our yeast management system as a critical process control point. Since we have wild and sour beers onsite, along with multiple yeast strains, the speed of the assay allows us to quickly and efficiently monitor our production flow so we can detect any potential cross-contamination as early as possible.” Eli Kolodny, QA/QC Manager, Odell Brewing Company
Brettanomyces bruxellensis	“We really enjoy how fast and accurate the brewBRUX test helps us determine the presence of Brettanomyces in our spirit barrel-aged brands and barrel-aged blends. It gives us confidence in our ability to manage wild yeast before blending and packaging these carefully-crafted brews.” Rick Blankemeier, Director of Brewing Operations, Modern Times Beer
Megasphaera and Pectinatus	“Traditional micro methods for plating Megasphaera and Pectinatus can take days to weeks, which is impractical for both quality assurance purposes and the quality control of our beer. We have implemented brewMAP into our routine testing protocol in low alcohol/IBU brands alongside brewPAL to ensure our beer is free of these serious beer spoilers before it leaves the brewery.” Drew Russey, PhD, Laboratory Manager, Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Saccharomyces diastaticus	“Early and accurate detection of Saccharomyces diastaticus is integral to avoid unintended secondary fermentation, but more importantly for brand management and the end consumer’s safety. Differentiating this wild yeast from typical brewing yeast is a challenge with traditional methods, and PCR methods can help provide a sensitive and conclusive means for identifying an issue before it’s too late.” Christopher O’Connor, Director of Quality/Technical Brewing Sleeping Giant Brewing Company

brewPRO product portfolio based on the Veripro platform

Risk-based identification of spoilage bacteria and wild yeast for quality professionals

brewPRO features a multiplexed configuration that simultaneously detects multiple genetic targets, including an internal amplification control, in a single, pre-aliquoted tube. Results can be monitored in real-time to detect the presence and genetic characteristics of contaminants. A simplified data analysis approach enables clear interpretation of results, including spoilage potential, that empowers rapid and effective quality decisions. The brewPRO assays are designed for the GENE-UP thermocycler and compatible with other select RT-PCR instruments.

Unique information is provided to assess spoilage potential allowing brewers to make accurate decisions and implement tailored remediation activities – improving overall beer quality and operational efficiencies. Having access to unique data on the specific nature of the organism enables quality teams to make real-time decisions about their processes, from pitch through packaging.

The brewPRO Bacteria Screen assay, provides risk-based detection and characterization of the hop resistance genes unique to Lactobacillus & Pediococcus beer spoiler species, specifically horA and horC. This enables an assessment of spoilage risk based on the relative abundance of genes that confer resistance to inhibitory hops compounds. The assay also detects the strictly anaerobic, gram-negative bacteria species of Megasphaera and Pectinatus that can be difficult to detect with traditional culturing methods. All while maintaining the ease of use and cost-effectiveness required by progressive breweries.

The brewPRO Wild Yeast Screen assay, provides superior detection of STA1 positive yeast paired with a simple sample prep that requires minimal expertise and hands-on time. Paired with our proprietary enrichment broth, this test will ensure you’re aware of any potential issues associated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus or Brettanomyces contamination well-before your customers open their can or bottle.

brewPRO will change the way brewers think about spoilage potential and associated remediation to improve overall beer quality and operational efficiencies. Explore the proactive decision-making tools for your brewery from Invisible Sentinel, a bioMérieux company.

• Multiplexed format with high throughout capabilities including running bacteria and wild yeast screens simultaneously
• Risk-based identification of the presence of potential beer spoilers
• Proprietary information on spoilage potential based on the relative abundance of hop resistance genes
• Results in under 4 hours in a wide variety of samples
• Simplified workflow with easy sample preparation - no DNA purification
• Compatible with multiple instruments

Product	Benefits of Using the Product
Bacteria Screen	brewPRO Bacteria Screen provides genomic-level detection of the lactic-acid bacteria species, Lactobacillus & Pediococcus, and risk-based detection by targeting the horA/horC hop resistance genes in the same assay. In addition, the test screens for strict anaerobes like Megasphaera & Pectinatus species that can be near impossible to culture via traditional micro and severely affect products with lower levels of dissolved oxygen, ABV, and IBU.
Wild Yeast Screen	brewPRO for Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus and Brettanomyces provides multi-plexed detection of the most detrimental wild yeast species. Avoid unwanted secondary fermentation in packaged product and ensure the only flavors in your beers are the ones that were intended.

Viability Kit: Invisible Sentinel's Live/Dead PCR Kit

The Challenge

A significant challenge for quality managers employing molecular analysis is differentiating between live and dead positive PCR results. Invisible Sentinel’s Viability Kit allows brewers to interpret true risk from dead cells or DNA with a simple workflow and specialized reagents.

The Science

VIABILITY PCR is a powerful technology for the sensitive and rapid detection of viable microorganisms. Unlike time-consuming culturing methods, the IS VIABILITY application provides the speed, sensitivity and specificity you rely on from the IS beer spoiler detection portfolio, plus quantifiable viability. And because no culturing is required, you can even detect viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells.

Brewery Applications

Originally designed for post-pasteurized sampling, the IS VIABILITY treatment can help verify successful tunnel/flash pasteurization, and aid breweries in optimizing the appropriate PU needed to minimize lost flavors and maximize shelf‑life, while still killing unwanted microbes.