Traditional Microbiology Made Even Easier

PIKA have been able to tailor and enhance culture media specifically to the needs of the brewing and beverage industry when looking for spoilage bacteria and yeasts. Testing beverage samples is different from food testing, even down to the sampling technique, and it’s these nuances which have been taken into consideration by PIKA with their evolutionary FastOrange® media range. We’ve made it as easy to analyze as a simple color change! All FastOrange® media is provided ready to use with no need for time-consuming preparation or sterilization.

FastOrange® Broths are available in 240 ml glass bottles for easy dispense across multiple samples, pre-measured in 5 ml tubes ready to use with swabs, and in 40/50 ml flasks for the direct addition of a single sample in the laboratory or directly at the sampling point. All our FastOrange® Agar is available in 170 ml glass bottles which can be re-melted before pouring into Petri dishes.

All FastOrange® media can be coupled with our real time PCR kits giving results within 2-3 days, or used alone giving visual results in 3-7 days.

FastOrange B Bottle for detection of spoilage bacteria in beer

PIKA FastOrange® B

Detect Beer Spoilage Bacteria

FastOrange® B was developed especially to detect microbial contaminations during the brewing process and in finished brewery products. All process samples can be easily analyzed with one single and simple method, following the one-for-all principle. From yeast through fermentation and tank samples up to finished beer. Samples are mixed with PIKA FastOrange® B Broth and incubated at ambient temperature (25oC), or streaked onto a FastOrange® B Agar plate if colonies are required.

As well as a color change, if acid producing beer spoilers are present in FastOrange® B Broth, their growth is often accompanied by sediment or haze formation. In case of lactic acid bacterial growth, these produce the typical odor of lactic acid, and also acetics’ smell is characteristic.

All the typical beer spoilers, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus as we as the anaerobic Megasphaera and Pectinatus are easily detected by a color change from violet to yellow. For the specific detection of Brettanomyces yeasts we recommend FastOrange® BRETT.

FastOrange B BRETT for Brettanomyces detection in beer

PIKA FastOrange® BRETT

Detect and Identify Brettanomyces

PIKA FastOrange® BRETT is especially intended for breweries and wineries for the detection of the yeast genus Dekkera (Brettanomyces).

The media has been developed in a way which encourages the growth of Brettanomyces yeasts whilst supressing other yeasts and bacteria. As with the rest of the FastOrange® range, the growth of Brettanomyces is indicated by a clearly visible yellow color change. The more yeast present in the samples, the faster the yellow appears.

FastOrange® BRETT can be used both for the detection of contaminants in samples as well as for the isolation of Brettanomyces yeasts from the environment and hygiene swabs.

FastOrange Yeast for the detection of spoilage yeast in beer and wine

PIKA FastOrange® Yeast

Hygiene Test - Detect All Yeast

PIKA FastOrange® Yeast is a nutrient medium which was developed for the beverage and food industry, especially for breweries and wineries. Due to its special composition, both yeasts and molds grow fast while the growth of bacteria is supressed.

Besides testing finished products, FastOrange® Yeast is ideal for testing the efficiency of cleaning and disinfection measures; if there are still live yeasts in the system, these are indicated by turbidity, precipitation or colony growth. Acid producing species cause a color change towards yellow, while basic yeasts indicate a more pink/violet color change.

FastOrange® Yeast is available as an agar, a broth, and for hygiene swabs.

FastOrange Wild Yeast

PIKA FastOrange® Wild Yeast

Detect Wild Yeast Besides Your Culture Yeast

PIKA FastOrange® Wild Yeast was developed for the detection of wild yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus especially in breweries and wineries. With FastOrange® Wild Yeast, all sample types can be analyzed with one method.

The principle is based on EBC method 4.2.5.1 ‘Saccharomyces Wild Yeasts, Cu-differentiation’. Growth of brewing yeasts is supressed while wild yeasts grow up to visible concentrations. Colonies on PIKA FastOrange® Wild Yeast Agar often show a brownish color.

FastOrange® Wild Yeast is available as an agar, a broth, and for hygiene swabs.