Brewing

The concentration and viability (percentage of living cells) of yeast cells are important factors in a variety of fermentation and production processes. Brewing beer requires special care to achieve the same distinctive taste every time. To ensure consistency, one of the critical factors is the amount of live and dead yeast cells used when pitching.

The NucleoCounter^® automated cell counter determines the cell count and viability with essential precision and reliability for brewers. The instrument provides the user with a fast, objective and high-precision measurement of yeast count and viability. The unique cassette-based sampling devices ensure easy handling and eliminate human subjectivity, resulting in very high accuracy and precision.

The NucleoCounter^® provides a quick and easy way to monitor yeast cell concentration while determining viability. It can analyze a volume more than three times greater than the volume commonly analyzed when manual cell counting. As a result, this feature makes the NucleoCounter^® one of the leading automated cell counters for precision and accuracy on the market. The NucleoCounter^® can provide a fast and accurate DNA-based volumetric cell count within seconds, independent of debris or substrate aggregates in the medium.

This system uses disposable sampling devices, the NucleoCassette™ and the Via2-Cassette™, which are pre-loaded with fluorescent dyes to detect and quantify total and viable cell populations. Because the NucleoCounter^® detects signals from stained nuclei and does not rely on the visualization of the whole cell, the system operates without regard to cell size or morphology.

A newer instrument, the NucleoCounter^® NC-202™, collects additional data parameters and is suited for more complex samples or when detailed studies are required. Furthermore, the NC-202™ comes with GMP-compliant software, enabling superior data management. The YC-100™ uses the NucleoCassette™ sampling device, and the NC-202™ uses the Via2-Cassette™.

Newly popular brew productions in the beverage and food industries besides beer include kombucha, kefir, kvass, root beer, nutritional supplements such as probiotics, yeast extract and vitamins.

Non-consumer products include bioethanol for energy production as well as for bioremediation of toxic or non-toxic waste and by-products of many industries.

Application of the NucleoCounter® in Production Runs

The endomembrane system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae makes it a cost-efficient alternative for producing proteins requiring posttranslational modifications. Many biomedical production facilities use genetically modified yeast species as bio-factories to produce proteins, including insulin and other hormones, antigens for vaccines, and blood factors.

The NucleoCounter^® NC-202™ provides the most precise and consistent yeast cell counting instrument for continuous monitoring of success criteria in production runs. The unique Via2-Cassette™ ensures safe and easy handling of samples and eliminates human errors, for both experienced and new users.