Efectos en la conservación de la cerveza con incorporación de Ilex Guayusa

Abstract

Abstract: In order to determine the effect of incorporating Ilex guayusa on the preservation of craft beer, this study integrated this Amazonian species into four experimental variants: leaf powder, liquid extract, freeze-dried extract, and spray-dried extract. To fulfill the specific objective of evaluating microbiological development, duplicate analyses were performed to quantify the presence of total coliforms, molds, yeasts, and aerobic mesophiles. This monitoring was carried out over five months. The results showed an unusual but favorable trend; after an absence of growth in the first two months and the detection of microbial load in the third month, a progressive reduction was observed across all treatments toward the fifth month, instead of the exponential growth expected in unpasteurized craft products. This response is attributed to the inhibitory capacity of the bioactive compounds in Ilex guayusa, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeine, which act by limiting the survival of microorganisms during storage. This dynamic suggests that the active compounds in guayusa play a preservative role, enhancing the safety and stability of the product during storage.