Development of a Point of Care Testing (PoCT) system for the detection and quantification of beer spoilage microorganisms in industrial environments

• Grant number: 23/06731-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Regina Lucia Batista da Costa de Oliveira
• Grantee: Regina Lucia Batista da Costa de Oliveira
• Host Company: 45.993.313 Inova Simples (IS)
• CNAE: Atividades profissionais, científicas e técnicas não especificadas anteriormente
• City: Mogi das Cruzes
• Associated researchers: Daniela Leite Jabes ; Fabiano Bezerra Menegidio ; Rene Aduan Junior
• Associated research grant: 22/01026-2 - Development of a Point of Care Testing (PoCT) system for the detection and quantification of beer spoilage microorganisms in industrial environments, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/00619-5 - Development of the EasyOmics DIOGENES® DB relational database and its incorporation into the EasyOmics DIOGENES® Analysis Suite application, BP.TT; 23/18027-4 - Design of primer sets for detection of principal BSMs found in Brazilian breweries., BP.TT; 24/01720-1 - Testing, optimization and standardization of LAMP/qLAMP reactions with beer samples subjected to controlled contamination, BP.TT; 23/18046-9 - Specificity and sensitivity analysis of primer sets for detection of the main BSMs (Beer Spoilage Microorganisms) found in Brazilian breweries., BP.TT; 23/17976-2 - Development of a Point of Care Testing (PoCT) system for the detection and quantification of beer spoilage microorganisms in industrial environment, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The Brazilian beer industry is responsible for the annual production of more than 14 billion liters of this beverage, making the country the third-largest beer producer in the world. However, this production could be higher, if not for the losses caused by contamination by Beer Spoilage Microorganisms (BSMs), which can compromise the quality and commercial viability of the product. BSMs can affect different stages of beer production, and their monitoring is traditionally conducted through laboratory culturing techniques. However, such techniques display low sensitivity and can be very time-consuming, often resulting in costly recalls, when batches of BSM-compromised beer are identified after shipment to distributors and vendors. Despite the current availability of commercial kits, capable of detecting BSMs with greater speed and efficacy through PCR and qPCR, these systems are seldomly used in Brazilian breweries, mainly due to the need to acquire expensive equipment to carry out such tests. In this sense, the present project aims to use a novel Point of Care Testing (PoCT) system, designed to detect BSMs in the industrial environment. PoCT testing systems are based on portable and low-complexity equipment, enabling large-scale diagnostics to be carried out in a short period of time and in extra-laboratory environments. The PoCT system proposed in this project, called EasyOmics DIOGENES® System (DIagnosis by Optical inference of GENEs and Sequences, or Diagnóstico por Inferência Óptica de GENEs e Sequências) has no competitor in both national and international markets. Moreover, it does not require high-cost/high-maintenance laboratory equipment and can be easily incorporated into the environment of large, medium and small breweries. (AU)