Non-alcoholic beer may bring higher risk for E.coli, salmonella: Cornell study

This could be what ales you.

While food poisoning cases from beer are rare, new research from Cornell University finds that low- and non-alcoholic beer can be breeding grounds for gnarly bacteria when brewed or stored improperly.

“Nontraditional beers lack one important hurdle to bacterial growth: ethanol concentration,” the authors wrote in a study published in the Journal of Food Protection.

“In addition, high pH, high sugar concentration, low [carbon dioxide], and low hop bittering compounds make these beverages more susceptible to spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogen growth.”

Low-alcohol beers have less than 2.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), while non-alcoholic beers have less than 0.5% ABV.

In the Cornell study, canned beer samples from Genesee Brewing Company in Rochester, NY, were inoculated with individual five-strain cocktails of E. coli, salmonella enterica, and listeria monocytigenes and stored at two temperatures (4 and 14 degrees Celsius) for 63 days.

“E. coli [strain] O157:H7 and [salmonella] grew and survived in low and nonalcoholic beers for over 2 months when stored at 4 and 14°C,” the researchers wrote.

E. coli O157:H7 is the most common strain to cause human illness, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Listeria, meanwhile, was below the detection limit at all pH values, the study showed.

“Beers with high pH (>4.60), low to no alcohol, and low carbon dioxide are more susceptible to spoilage and pathogens,” the study authors wrote.

“Any craft beverage with a pH higher than 4.60 is at risk for Clostridium botulinum growth and potential toxin production.” 

US sales of non-alcoholic beer rose 32% from a year earlier in the 52 weeks through Sept. 9 and averaged 31% growth over four years, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, citing data from NielsenIQ.

“This challenge study demonstrates the need for beverage manufacturers to prioritize and maintain food safety plans along with practices specific to low- and nonalcoholic beer manufacturers,” the researchers noted.

To raise the bar, they recommend having low- and non-alcoholic beers undergo pasteurization and reducing microbial risk via sterile filtration and the addition of preservatives.

Kegs, draught system tubing, and faucets should be sanitized regularly, and good handling and cleaning practices should be followed in the manufacturing process.