Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador

Craft beers are usually produced on a small scale following atypical recipes and processes to achieve flavor innovation. Beers’ hop composition offers a natural protection against biological contamination. Nevertheless, mycotoxins, such as ochratoxin A, can persist through the brewing process into t...

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Main Authors: Michelle Castro-Arteaga, Katty Cabezas-Terán, Jorge Saquicela, Silvana Donoso-Moscoso, Johana Ortiz-Ulloa
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad Nacional de Trujillo 2024-08-01
Series:Agroindustrial Science
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Online Access:https://revistas.unitru.edu.pe/index.php/agroindscience/article/view/6001
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author Michelle Castro-Arteaga
Katty Cabezas-Terán
Jorge Saquicela
Silvana Donoso-Moscoso
Johana Ortiz-Ulloa
author_facet Michelle Castro-Arteaga
Katty Cabezas-Terán
Jorge Saquicela
Silvana Donoso-Moscoso
Johana Ortiz-Ulloa
author_sort Michelle Castro-Arteaga
collection DOAJ
description Craft beers are usually produced on a small scale following atypical recipes and processes to achieve flavor innovation. Beers’ hop composition offers a natural protection against biological contamination. Nevertheless, mycotoxins, such as ochratoxin A, can persist through the brewing process into the final product. In this study, the microbiological quality (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, mold, and yeast) via plate counts and ochratoxin A occurrence by HPLC-FLD were assessed in 42 samples of craft beer brewed in Cuenca, Ecuador. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria were present in 92.8% of analyzed samples and ranged from 6.6 to 8.4 log CFU mL-1. Mold and yeast were present in 95.2% of craft beers, ranging between 6.6 and 8.2 log CFU mL-1. Ochratoxin A was detected in 24% of craft beer samples, from which Ale type beers showed the highest contamination (0.03-0.51 ng mL-1). None of the craft beer samples presented levels of ochratoxin A contamination above the permitted limit; while in most of the samples, microbiological contamination exceeded the reference limits applied for industrial beer. Although craft beer production does not follow a standardized process, to ensure the safety of this popular alcoholic beverage, minimum requirements for microbiological and chemical contaminants must be considered as well as further research into control and mitigation strategies throughout brewing.
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publishDate 2024-08-01
publisher Universidad Nacional de Trujillo
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spelling doaj-art-cbb08e7ee352433e84416e48ea68d6142025-08-20T02:07:04ZspaUniversidad Nacional de TrujilloAgroindustrial Science2226-29892024-08-01142137142https://doi.org/10.17268/agroind.sci.2024.02.06Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, EcuadorMichelle Castro-Arteaga0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4646-1959Katty Cabezas-Terán1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3441-387XJorge Saquicela2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8065-1740Silvana Donoso-Moscoso3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8556-7334Johana Ortiz-Ulloa4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7171-7135Department of Biosciences. Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.Department of Biosciences. Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.Department of Biosciences. Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.Department of Biosciences. Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.Department of Biosciences. Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.Craft beers are usually produced on a small scale following atypical recipes and processes to achieve flavor innovation. Beers’ hop composition offers a natural protection against biological contamination. Nevertheless, mycotoxins, such as ochratoxin A, can persist through the brewing process into the final product. In this study, the microbiological quality (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, mold, and yeast) via plate counts and ochratoxin A occurrence by HPLC-FLD were assessed in 42 samples of craft beer brewed in Cuenca, Ecuador. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria were present in 92.8% of analyzed samples and ranged from 6.6 to 8.4 log CFU mL-1. Mold and yeast were present in 95.2% of craft beers, ranging between 6.6 and 8.2 log CFU mL-1. Ochratoxin A was detected in 24% of craft beer samples, from which Ale type beers showed the highest contamination (0.03-0.51 ng mL-1). None of the craft beer samples presented levels of ochratoxin A contamination above the permitted limit; while in most of the samples, microbiological contamination exceeded the reference limits applied for industrial beer. Although craft beer production does not follow a standardized process, to ensure the safety of this popular alcoholic beverage, minimum requirements for microbiological and chemical contaminants must be considered as well as further research into control and mitigation strategies throughout brewing.https://revistas.unitru.edu.pe/index.php/agroindscience/article/view/6001ochratoxin amycotoxinsmicrobiological controlcraft beerfood safety
spellingShingle Michelle Castro-Arteaga
Katty Cabezas-Terán
Jorge Saquicela
Silvana Donoso-Moscoso
Johana Ortiz-Ulloa
Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
Agroindustrial Science
ochratoxin a
mycotoxins
microbiological control
craft beer
food safety
title Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
title_full Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
title_fullStr Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
title_full_unstemmed Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
title_short Ochratoxin A and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in Cuenca, Ecuador
title_sort ochratoxin a and microbiological contamination of craft beers made in cuenca ecuador
topic ochratoxin a
mycotoxins
microbiological control
craft beer
food safety
url https://revistas.unitru.edu.pe/index.php/agroindscience/article/view/6001
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