Strategies to understand and reduce the spoilage potential of low and non-alcoholic beverages

Fermented beverages are considered to be products which are 'safe for human consumption', for the primary reason that pathogenic organisms are not associated with the final product. However, in recent years, consumer preferences have led to the growth in popularity of 'no or low alcohol beverages' (NABLAB's). This category reflects a rapidly growing market within the brewing sector, expanding from <0.1% of all products in 2015 to 5% global consumption at the current time and further growth expected to reach ~33% by 2025.
Although often designed to mimic alcoholic beverage flavour profiles, NABLAB's are fundamentally different in terms of their composition and are at higher risk of microbial contamination due to the relatively high concentration of nutrients, elevated pH, milder carbonation levels and reduction in ethanol1. Consequently, reports of spoilage in NABLAB products have dramatically increased, an issue highlighted by a recent major product recall by Diageo.

In this project we aim to fully understand the microbial risks associated with production of NABLAB's across the brewing process, including the potential for contamination by organisms previously considered to be of low threat. We aim to select for organisms capable of thriving in the NABLAB environment and analyse their physiology and growth preferences with the ambition of preventing contamination via a targeted approach.