Novel Fluorescent Viability and Vitality Detection Method for Ale and Lager Yeast Fermentation using Cellometer Vision
The brewing and wine industries rely predominantly on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to optimize fermentation processes, it is important to characterize the physiological and metabolic (the viability and vitality, respectively) of the yeast cells throughout the procedure. Yeast are viable when the cells have intact membranes. Vitality, on the other
hand, is defined by quantifiable metabolic activity as well as the ability to proliferate. It is possible to have yeast that are viable but not actively proliferating, an event that can adversely affect fermentation.