The Real Beer Spoilers of Lactobacillus & Pediococcus

While there are hundreds of species of Lactobacillus & Pediococcus, only a tiny fraction have the ability to grow in beer. Blunt PCR tests using a single target frequently detect species such as L. rhamnosus, L. jensenii, and L. paracasei which are common in people, but don’t spoil beer. Other early approaches rely on hop resistance genes such as horA and horC. These plasmid genes are easily exchanged between species, and frequently exist in non-spoilers. The result of these approaches: costly false positives.

PIKA’s Precision Approach

PIKA’s 4e kits pinpoint the real beer spoilers by individually targeting the genomic DNA of each of 13 scientifically proven spoilers of Lactobacillus & Pediococcus by PCR. A screening kit combines all 13 tests into a single PCR reaction for easy & economical detection, while an identification kit tests for each spoiler in a separate reaction, allowing the spoiler to be identified. The result: a precision test for the spoilage potential of your beer.

The Real Beer Spoilers

Lactobacillus

L. acetotolerans, L. backii, L. brevis, L. casei, L. collinoides, L. coryniformis, L. lindneri, L. parabuchneri (“frigidus”), L. perolens, L. plantarum, L. rossiae

Pediococcus

P. damnosus, P. inopinatus

PIKA monitors contamination events in breweries around the world through its consultancy, and continually evaluates new organisms for inclusion.