Analytical Session
Catharine L O'Shaughnessy, Campden BRI, Coopers Hill Road, Nutfield, Surrey, RH1 4HY, UK
Co-author(s): Karin Pawlowsky and Gordon Jackson, Campden BRI, Nutfield, UK
ABSTRACT: There are many new instruments being developed for the chemical and microbiological testing of beer. It is difficult to know which of these are suitable. Currently brewers have to arrange in-house tests before purchase, and this is time-consuming and expensive. This paper describes the Campden BRI instrument assessment service for the alcoholic drinks industry, which can provide an independent evaluation of new and existing equipment. Instruments are tested against existing methods to determine their suitability for use in the brewing sector. The results from these assessments can be published on the Campden BRI instrument website (www.compareinstruments.com), which brings together information about equipment (particularly new instruments) that are available for the brewing industry. This service is free to staff in breweries. This paper provides data from recent evaluations of new instruments for chemical and rapid microbiological testing of beer. It presents data on ease of use, repeatability, reproducibility, and comparison with existing methods.
Catharine O’Shaughnessy graduated from Birmingham University in 1994, having obtained a B.S. degree in biochemistry with biotechnology and an M.S. degree in biochemical engineering. After finishing at Birmingham, Catharine joined Campden BRI (then known as Brewing Research International) as a research engineer on their Process Innovation Team and worked in the areas of process optimization, cross-flow microfiltration, and waste minimization. She gained her diploma in brewing in 1995. In 2003 she was awarded the IBD Cambridge Prize for her work at Campden BRI in the areas of waste minimization, malt and cereal roasting, malt flavor chemistry, and the sensory modeling of malt flavor. In 2007 she joined the Sensory team, where she managed the expert sensory malt profile panel and their expert technical taste panel. At the beginning of 2011, Catharine was appointed manager of the Instrument Assessment Programme. She is author and co-author of a number of scientific publications in international journals.
