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Barrier pouches protect sensitive yeast products

Wyeast Laboratories, Hood River, OR, a leading producer of pure liquid yeast products (fermentation cultures) for beer and wine making, has introduced 50-mL and 125-mL retortable stand-up pouch packaging for its home brewers and vintners line of products.

Pw 9270 Ampacwyeast

The heat-tolerant, flex crack-resistant pouches are supplied by Ampac Flexibles (www.ampaconline.com), a unit of Ampac Packaging LLC.

The packaging structure, made from a proprietary high-barrier adhesive lamination, provides both oxygen and ultraviolet (UV) light protection. Jenny Logsdon, GM of Wyeast Labs, explains, “Because oxygen stimulates yeast metabolism, our packaging must protect our yeast from exposure. The yeast needs to rest in a dormant state so that it does not metabolize in the package, which would deplete the energy it needs for fermentation. Also, if the yeast is exposed to light, you will get cell mutation, which results in cell death and lower cell counts. The shelf life of our liquid yeast is up to six months when refrigerated at the appropriate temperature.”

 

 

In typical retort pouch packaging applications, the product is filled and sealed in the pouch and then retort heated (at approximately 250º F) to achieve commercial sterility and nonrefrigerated shelf life. But due to the sensitive nature of the liquid yeasts, Wyeast has developed an alternative procedure whereby the empty pouch is retort sterilized prior to cleanroom filling and sealing. Says Logsdon, “We actually retort the pouch before filling it because we want a sterile environment in which to put the yeast.” 

 

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