The Probiotic Paradox: Thriving in High-Hopped Sour Beer

Abstract

The global craft beer market is witnessing substantial growth, with a particular spotlight on sour beers. These unique brews are created through lactic fermentation initiated by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). However, the presence of hops (Humulus lupulus L.), renowned for their antimicrobial properties, can pose a limitation within the realm of sour beer production. This research aims to explore and assess the potential of sour beer as a probiotic beverage. It involves a comparative analysis of the viability of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei F19 (F19) and 431 (L431) in a sour beer with an International Bitterness Unit (IBU) value of 22, alongside examining the expression of genes such as horA, horB, horC, hitA, bsrA, and recA, which are associated with hop resistance. The study encompasses the development of two formulations of sour beers characterized by both high hop content and a robust probiotic count (8.44–8.77 log CFU/mL). The findings suggest that both probiotic strains of F19 and L431, are well-suited to produce sour beers with elevated hop levels, demonstrating excellent stability. Notably, the expression of genes responsible for hop resistance exhibited distinct modulation patterns among the two strains. It appears that a higher concentration of bsrA, as observed in strain L431, may be more effective in mitigating the effects of hop-related stress, potentially surpassing the combined expression of horA and bsrA. Nonetheless, further research is essential to validate this observation in gene expression. F19 and L431 emerge as promising candidates for the development of sour beers with increased hop intensity.

Keywords:

• Hop-resistance
• lactic acid bacteria
• PMA-qPCR
• probiotic
• sour beer

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Chr. Hansen for providing the cultures, to Dr Gabriela Müller from Higher School of Beer and Malt (Escola Superior de Cerveja e Malte – ESCM, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil) and Levteck (Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil), the brewmaster Emmanuel Nascimento Lima de Souza (Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, projects #2013/07914-8 – FoRC – Food Research Center, and #2019/02583-0).