Company to showcase fully automated multiplexed solution at 2017 Master Brewers Conference

ITHACA, N.Y. — Rheonix Inc., a developer of fully automated molecular testing solutions, will present on the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing solutions as an aspect of quality control in breweries. The session will be held at 8-9:45 a.m. Oct. 13 at the 2017 Master Brewers Conference hosted by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) Oct. 12-14 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Peter Trabold, Ph.D., MBA, director of business development at Rheonix, will speak alongside multiple biotechnology companies in a session titled “PCR Curious? Part I: Principles of PCR Analyses.” The educational session will focus on the usability of PCR results throughout the brewing production process and will provide an opportunity to learn about the different PCR techniques currently available. Dr. Trabold will speak on the benefits of multiplexed testing and automation and how those capabilities are utilized in the Rheonix Beer SpoilerAlert^™ assay.

Rheonix will also exhibit its multiplexing molecular testing workstation and assay in Booth #50. The Beer SpoilerAlert assay is a molecular test kit that runs on the Rheonix Encompass Optimum^™ workstation and simultaneously detects the presence or absence of 11 different genetic targets indicative of spoilage in beer.

The Rheonix Beer SpoilerAlert assay currently detects 11 genetic markers for multiple species of yeast and bacteria, as well as specific genetic markers for hop resistance. The assay is designed to run on the Rheonix Encompass Optimum workstation, a fully automated platform. The workstation can process up to 24 samples at a time and features the ability to detect up to 22 targets in a sample. The high multiplexing capability enables Rheonix assays to be expanded to include additional targets as needed. The recent addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus to the Beer SpoilerAlert assay demonstrates Rheonix’s ability to quickly add a target in response to customer needs.

Since its launch at the World Brewing Congress in August 2016, the SpoilerAlert assay has experienced rapid industry adoption and is now in use and under evaluation by major brewers worldwide.

“The Beer SpoilerAlert assay can be used on a range of sample types throughout the brewing process – from environmental swabs to in-process samples to finished product,” said Kenny Salky, Rheonix executive vice president for sales. “The amount of information provided by a single sample is unprecedented, and brewers who use the assay are telling us that it has already changed the way they manage quality and make process improvements.”

The Encompass Optimum workstation and the Beer SpoilerAlert assay combine to:

• Reduce labor and laboratory costs – With a single pipette step per sample, less than 15 minutes of hands-on time, and true walk-away automation, the Rheonix system saves valuable time in the lab.
• Increase accuracy – High multiplexing capabilities enable simultaneous detection of multiple spoilage organisms, even at low densities, along with the genes that enable these organisms to grow in and spoil beer.
• Simplify testing – An easy-to-follow workflow and intuitive user interface guide users through the testing process, with no technical training required.

Both internal and external research has demonstrated that the Rheonix 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 automates and significantly shortens the time required to detect spoilage organisms, thereby rapidly and reliably improving quality control for brewers.

Attendees are invited to stop by Booth #50 at the 2017 Master Brewers Conference to meet the Rheonix team and learn more about how the Rheonix Encompass Optimum workstation and Beer SpoilerAlert assay can help brewers rapidly detect beer spoilage organisms and improve quality control throughout the brewing process.

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 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 for use in key clinical, applied and research testing. For more information, visit www.rheonix.com.