| Summary: | The concentration of diacetyl in the fermenting process of beer is important to control as it is both a measure of the quality of the beer and yeast viability. Presently there is no on line method for monitoring diacetyl levels during beer production, which can result in submitting the beer to a longer high temperature diacetyl degradation period than necessary. This is detrimental to the yeast and increases the time of the overall process. The ability to continuously monitor diacetyl levels on line would provide a decided advantage in control of the fermentation and maturation of the beer, two important factors impacting production quality and cost. The purpose of this project is to design a biosensor that will measure diacetyl levels on line, thereby providing a profile of diacetyl concentrations during beer production. This will lead to increasing not only the production rate, but the quality and consistency of the final product and can serve as a foundation for future improvements in yeast management in general. === The initial goal of the project is to evaluate existing biosensor technology in relation to its application in the beer fermentation process. The second is to design a biosensor which will measure diacetyl levels and surmount existing biosensor disadvantages based on the information collected in the observation process. The last objective is to construct a prototype in order to test this design. The combined results of this study will be of value to the brewing industry specifically and help expand the role biosensors play in introducing new more effective methods into the food processing industry.
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