Purpose: This study was executed to investigate microbiological contamination conditions of draft beer and awareness of employees on the draft beer sanitation management in draft beer restaurants in South Korea.
Methods: A total of 112 draft beer samples were purchased from 10 different cities in South Korea. The draft beer samples were analyzed for coliforms, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli O157:H7, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Questionnaire surveys were conducted by 639 beer sellers to investigate perception of draft beer sanitation management.
Results: Only Staphylococcus aureus was detected from 2 beer samples out of 9 samples which were purchased from Cheonan City and 2 beer samples out of 19 samples from Iksan City. Other foodborne bacteria were not detected from any beer samples. According to the data of questionnaire survey, 72.6% of beer sellers answered that draft beer can be contaminated by any bacteria. Approximately forty-eight percent of beer sellers were aware of hygienic practices, while 51.6% did not. It has been suggested that presence of Staphylococcus aureus in draft beers may be caused by poor personal hygiene. Generally, draft beer sellers realize that the quality of draft beer can be affected by bacteria but more than half of them did not know how to sanitize draft beer apparatus such as keg, coupler, faucet, and beer line.
Significance: Therefore a manual or a guideline on the sanitation management of draft beer should be established for the training of the beer sellers in South Korea.