Bulgarian Scientists Develop Innovative Method to Study, Control Microorganisms in Beer

Jerusalem, 30 January, 2023 (TPS) -- SOFIA, 30.01.2023 (BTA)
An innovative method for the study and control of microorganisms in beer has been developed by Bulgarian scientists from the Centre for Food Biology (CFB) with the assistance of the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB), the Bulgarian Industrial Association said on Monday. The molecular biological method for achieving microbiological purity of beer has no analogue in Europe and is based on a polymerase chain reaction – qPCR. The original procedure developed to quantify bacterial DNA in beer is more accurate, faster and more precise than classical methods for testing microorganisms in beer.

“The new method is the result of a series of studies over two years in collaboration between the Centre for Food Biology and the Brewers’ Union. Our joint work is helping to modernize the analytical capacity of the brewing industry with the development of molecular biological methodologies for the diagnosis of microorganisms in beer,” said Ivana Radomirova, Executive Director of the UBB.

Dr. Sergey Ivanov, head of the CFB and leader of the team that developed the new method, commented that it is becoming increasingly fashionable, especially in craft beers, to have beers with a more pronounced acidic flavor profile. For this purpose, lactic acid bacteria are used to form such a taste. Recently, probiotic beers are increasingly being developed with the controlled addition of lactic acid starter to beer, which is beneficial for the stomach microflora.

But even if this is the aim, microbiological control in brewing should be even stricter. In general, lactic acid bacteria are undesirable and therefore their content in beer is constantly monitored, which requires labor-intensive laboratory work. If production supervision is not precise, the level of these micro-organisms can quickly exceed 1 million/ml and spoil the harmonious taste of the beer. The new method of the Bulgarian scientists allows the rapid and precise measurement of the amount of lactic acid bacteria in beer by qPCR, the inventors explained.

“The procedure we have developed is more accurate as it also takes into account microorganisms that are not detected by classical methods,” added Dr. Ivanov.