Microbial biofilms in artisanal microbreweries

Investigations were conducted at a microbrewery to check for presence of microbial biofilms in equipment after sanitizing. It was shown that the sanitizing protocol used was not sufficient to ensure satisfactory hygiene conditions. The main critical point was the excessive time between cleaning and disinfection. The spoilage species Lactobacillus brevis was present in almost all the beer samples tested. The bottling unit had high levels of contamination with a range of bacterial species, suggesting presence of a biofilm.