Beverages
When producing fruit juices, alcoholic beverages, potable water or other beverages, many steps need to be controlled and monitored to obtain safe and high quality products.
R-Biopharm test kits can be applied throughout the whole beverage production chain: from raw materials to intermediates to final products, from the inspection of incoming goods to hygiene monitoring and finally to product analysis for correct labeling. Our large portfolio of different test formats can be used to analyze fruit juices and concentrates, alcoholic beverages (e.g. wine, beer, spirits), potable water and non-dairy drinks (e.g. soy milk, almond milk).
Beverage spoilage
Spoilage organisms are a major problem especially in the beverage industry. Contaminations with spoilage bacteria and yeasts such as Lactobacillus brevis or Saccharomyces diastaticus can significantly affect product quality and taste (e.g. turbidity, off-flavors), and as a consequence, can have severe financial impact. For fast and specific screening and detection of microbiological spoilage parameters in beverages, a wide product line of qPCR kits is offered.
Read moreAcids, sugars, alcohols and additives
The quality of wine and beer is based on several parameters. By testing critical parameters such as citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, glucose, fructose, sucrose, iron or ethanol during production, corrective measures can be taken to ensure the highest possible output and to avoid discard. Many enzymatic methods have been validated by international organizations such as the OIV (International Wine Office), EU and AOAC.
Read moreAllergens
Allergenic ingredients such as gluten, lactose, soy or nuts must be labeled in most countries. Yet, unintended contamination during storage and production of beverages is very common. Additionally, fining agents such as milk protein (casein), egg (ovalbumin) or lysozyme used in wine can remain in the finished product and must be labeled. Red wine also contains high levels of histamine which may be problematic for allergic persons. In beer labeled as gluten-free, the gluten content must be tested in order to protect consumers.
Read moreVitamins
Many beverages, particularly fruit juices, are enriched with vitamins. Juice processing companies need accurate data on the concentration of vitamins added not only to meet regulatory and consumer requirements for package labelling, but also to closely control vitamin dosage in production. The concentration of vitamin C can degrade by up to 16 % during storage. Yet, the vitamin content in the product has to match with the label on the package until the end of the declared shelf life.
Read moreMycotoxins
Grains and fruits may be contaminated with mycotoxins (toxic metabolites of molds) and should therefore be tested before they are used in beverage production. The mycotoxin Ochratoxin A is typically found in wine, while Aflatoxin, Fumonisin and Vomitoxin are often found in beer. Patulin may occur in apple juice and apple liqueurs. Due to the frequent occurrence of mycotoxins and their severe toxic effects, many countries have set maximum levels, e.g. 2 μg/kg Ochratoxin A in wine in the European Union.
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