Universal Beer HiVeg™ Agar ( UB HiVeg™ Agar)

Principle and Interpretation

Universal Beer HiVeg Agar is prepared by replacing Peptonized milk by HiVeg hydrolysate No.3 which is free from BSE/TSE risks. This medium is the modification of Universal Beer Agar which is designed according to the formula developed by Kozulis and Page (1) for culturing microorganisms which are significant in the brewing industry. Beer is added to the medium to stimulate the growth of beer spoilage organisms, thereby increasing the selectivity of the medium. Beer contains hop constituents and ethyl alcohol which eliminates many airborne contaminants (2) and thus help in minimizing false positive results.

HiVeg hydrolysate No.3, yeast extract, dextrose and salts provide all essential growth nutrients. Tomato juice gives acidic environment and is also a source of carbon, protein. Phosphate provides the buffering system to the medium. Magnesium sulfate, ferrous sulphate and manganese sulphate are the sources of ions that stimulate metabolism. The organisms which survive or grow in wort and beer during beer manufacturing can be recovered due to this particular composition of the medium.

Universal Beer HiVeg Agar supports growth of Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Acetobacter and yeast strains which may be found contaminating the wort and beer.