Principal investigator: Allison Saunders
University: Lycoming College
Industry partner: Bald Birds Brewing
This project aims to optimize microbial testing of beverages produced at Bald Birds Brewing to develop procedures for on-site testing that will be performed in-house at the brewery. Bald Birds Brewing currently hires a third-party laboratory to perform their microbial testing via DNA detection. The introduction of on-site testing would allow for testing at various stages of production in less time. Different industry methods of testing will be explored including both culturing in selective media and detection of genomic DNA. These methods will be examined to determine the best practices for detecting beer-spoiling microbes at various stages of the brewing process. Results will be analyzed for sensitivity, reproducibility, length of time of the testing, and cost. The methods developed by Lycoming College investigators will then be transferred to Bald Birds Brewing to allow for on-site testing for faster quality control analysis of their products.