Beer Spoilage Prevention

About

Basic Overview Beer spoilage is a major concern to every Master Brewer in the world. Contamination of brews with beer spoiling bacteria can lead to loss of entire batches of beer resulting in severe financial losses for the brewery. Industries sources indicate that “Product withdrawal of 3 weeks stock due to Lactobacillus contamination from a standard size brewery have resulted in losses of up to €3 million. Product withdrawal or recall can have major implications for Brand and business. Bacterial contamination is also a problem in all kinds of fermentations including bioethanol production. What Problem Does it Solve? The innovative aspect of the technology utilises antimicrobial compounds that could reduce or eliminate bacterial contamination during the fermentation process. We focused on group of naturally occurring positively charged antimicrobial peptides called Defensins. Defensins are found in the human oral cavity and form part of the human innate immune response against bacterial infections. We engineered a brewery strain of yeast to express and produce the Human -defensin-3 (HBD-3) during the fermentation process. The bio-engineered strain secretes Defensins into the beer and reduces or eliminates bacteria seeded into the beer. Benefits of Defensins in Fermenting Yeast A naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide. First line of defence, part of innate immune response. Bacterial resistance is rare. Effective under fermentation condtions. No effect on the lager yeasts. Possible Applications Defensins provide a way to prevent beer spoilage during fermentations. The technology can be adapted to control bacterial fermentations in any fermentation process including bioethanol production. Provides added neutraceutic value to the product as the small quantities of the antimicrobial peptide remaining in the lager can enhance the natural levels of -defensin in the oral cavity. Technology and Patent Status A priority patent application entitled Preventing Spoilage in Alcohol Fermentations has been filed with the US patent office [US61/491,584]. Bespoke yeast strains expressing defensins can be generated to suit any industrial application. The technology forms part of a suite of applications aims at improving yeast strains for the Fermentation Industry. The Opportunity This technology is is available for license to companies involved in the fermentation industry. There is further opportunity to collaborate with Trinity College for yeast strain manipulation.