Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Craft brewing is one of the fastest growing industries in Canada, now accounting for about 25% of thex000D
nine-billion-dollar Canadian beer industry. Defining characteristics of the craft brewing industry are the smallx000D
batch production of beers exclusively from natural ingredients, and highly dedicated consumers that expectx000D
both reliable signature beers along with ongoing development of new beer flavours. Major risks for brewers arex000D
microbial activities that generate bad tasting flavours, and contamination with bacteria that later grow and spoilx000D
beer after packaging. Therefore, as in all food production industries, brewers work diligently to avoid spoilagex000D
caused by undesirable bacterial activities. For example, lactic acid bacteria are ubiquitous on raw materialsx000D
(grain and hops) used in the brewing process and are known to persist in the brewing environment. Unwantedx000D
bacterial activity results in the production of malodorous off-flavours and textures (e.g. slimy orx000D
over-carbonated) which can lead to significant financial losses and strongly influence consumer experience.x000D
This NSERC Engage brings the Cameron lab's expertise in microbial genetics to: 1. Identify the bacterial andx000D
fungus that enter a brewery on the raw ingredients (grain and hops), and 2. Identify the lactic acid bacteria inx000D
the brewery to develop better gene targets for routine quality control testing by the industrial partner. The firstx000D
goal will allow for correlation of microbial communities with metabolites being measured by the industrialx000D
partner. These correlations enable improved industrial processes to control microbial activity on the rawx000D
ingredients to reduce the chance of unwanted metabolites (ie. bad flavours). The second goal assists in qualityx000D
control in the brewing environment to reduce the risk of contamination. Altogether, the proposed Engagex000D
project will provide the partner with knowledge of the microbial communities entering and persisting in thex000D
production line, as well as diagnostic markers for incorporation into their routine quality control monitoring.