Alcoholic Beverages Testing

Alcoholic Beverages Analysis for hotels and restaurants.

Food/Test Category	Microbial Parameters	Analysis Method	Limits
Alcoholic Beverages Testing	Standard Plate Count	ISO 4833-1:2013 / AOAC 990.12	Very low or “controlled by process”
	Salmonella	ISO 6579-1:2017 / AOAC 2003.09	Absent (zero tolerance concept)
	Listeria Spp Coagulative Staphylococcus	ISO 11290-1:2017 ISO 6888-1:2021	Absent in ready-to- drink products
	Coliform	ISO 4832:2006 ISO 16649-2:2001	Absent (indicator of contamination)
	Listeria Monocytogenes	SO 11290-1:2017 ISO 4832:2006	Absent or not detected
	Yeast/mold	ISO 21527-1:2008 ISO 6888-1:2021	Absent / not
	E. coli	ISO 16649-2 ISO 4833-1:2013 / AOAC 990.12	Very low or “controlled by process”

What each parameter means

Parameter	What it tells us	Method in the table	Remarks
Standard Plate Count	Overall level of viable aerobic microorganisms	ISO 4833-1:2013	Useful for general hygiene and process control. “Very low” is better expressed as a product-specific/process-control criterion.
Salmonella	Presence of an important foodborne pathogen	ISO 6579-1:2017	Appropriate detection method. ISO confirms that this standard is for detection of Salmonella.
Listeria spp.	Presence of Listeria species	ISO 11290-1:2017	Appropriate. The standard covers detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp.
Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus	Hygiene/handling contamination indicator	ISO 6888-1:2021	Appropriate. This standard is specifically for enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci, including S. aureus.
Coliforms	General hygiene/contamination indicator	ISO 4832:2006	Appropriate for enumeration of coliforms.
Listeria monocytogenes	Specific foodborne pathogen	ISO 11290-1:2017	Appropriate detection method. ISO 4832 is a coliform method.
Yeast & Mold	Beverage spoilage and fungal contamination	ISO 21527-1:2008	This can be appropriate only where the product’s water activity and matrix fall within the method’s scope. ISO 21527-1 is specifically for products with water activity >0.95.
E. coli	Hygiene/fecal contamination indicator	ISO 16649-2:2001	Appropriate method for enumeration of beta-glucuronidase-positive E. coli.