Beer SpoilerAlert™ assay and Encompass Optimum™ workstation enable next-day detection of spoilage organisms and hops-resistance genes
ITHACA, N.Y. — Rheonix Inc., a developer of fully automated molecular testing solutions, announces the launch of its Beer SpoilerAlert™ assay for use on the Encompass Optimum™ workstation. This is the first fully automated assay for detecting beer spoilage organisms and the first assay to simultaneously detect microorganisms and hops-resistance genes. Rheonix will showcase this new technology at the World Brewing Congress Aug.13-17 in Denver.
With the Beer SpoilerAlert assay and Encompass Optimum workstation, results are available overnight and require virtually no technical training to obtain. The automated solution is a breakthrough improvement over conventional culture-based detection methods, which typically require up to a week and significant hands-on labor.
In an evaluation Rheonix conducted with an industry partner, the assay demonstrated consistent next-day detection of microorganisms and the genes that enable these organisms to spoil beer.
The Encompass Optimum workstation and the Beer SpoilerAlert assay enable:
- Dramatically reduced detection time – The technology provides next-day results, versus four to seven days for conventional methods, enabling rapid detection of quality issues.
- Reduced labor and laboratory costs – The automated system requires no technical expertise to run and only 10 minutes of hands-on time. Lab technicians can place 24 samples on the workstation, press “go” and walk away.
- Increased accuracy – The highly multiplexing system simultaneously detects multiple spoilage organisms, even when present at low levels, as well as the genes that enable these organisms to grow in and spoil beer.
Rheonix will present data on the Beer SpoilerAlert assay at the World Brewing Congress on Sunday, Aug. 14. Rheonix research demonstrates that the Beer SpoilerAlert assay reliably detects the most common beer spoilage organisms without interference from closely related non-spoilage organisms. In a collaborative evaluation with an industry partner, over 300 real-world beer samples collected from tanks and bottles were tested side by side with the Beer SpoilerAlert assay and standard microbiological methods. The results demonstrate that the Rheonix Beer SpoilerAlert assay can significantly shorten the time required to detect spoilage organisms, thereby rapidly and reliably improving quality control for brewers.
“The SpoilerAlert assay is a game changer for the beer industry,” said Greg Galvin, Ph.D., CEO and chairman of Rheonix. “This technology will help breweries get results sooner and release product to market more quickly, while ensuring the product maintains its quality from the moment a brewmaster formulates it to the time it reaches a consumer’s hands.”
The global brewing industry has experienced expansive growth, with over 4,600 breweries operating in the U.S. alone, according to the Brewers Association. In an increasingly competitive brewing landscape, quality control and consistency of product are critical. Many of the microorganisms that are naturally present throughout the brewing process can survive the inhospitable environment of beer and result in spoilage, negatively affecting flavor, appearance and aroma. The costs associated with a negative consumer experience or recall due to spoilage can be significant.
About Rheonix:
Through experienced leadership and creative vision, Rheonix has developed the Encompass Optimum™ workstation, a highly customizable technology with unmatched versatility and affordability for use in research and applied testing laboratories. The workstation performs fully automated, complex molecular assays in an easy-to-use and economical format on the Rheonix CARD® cartridge. With both the Rheonix CARD cartridge and Encompass Optimum workstation family of products, Rheonix is well positioned to penetrate key molecular testing market sectors. In 2016, Rheonix introduced the Encompass Optimum workstation for rapid, fully automated multiplexed detection of pathogens in food samples and for beer spoilage. For more information, visit www.rheonix.com.
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