Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Detecting and Characterizing Protein Self-Assembly In Vivo by Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 17, 2019
A flow-cytometric method for determination of yeast viability and cell number in a brewery
Andrew R Boyd1, Thusitha S Gunasekera, Paul V Attfield
1Centre for Fluorimetric Applications in Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia. aboyd@rna.bio.mq.edu.au
Abstract:
A flow-cytometric assay, using the fluorescent dye, oxonol, for the simultaneous determination of yeast cell viability and cell number is described. The assay was optimised, and trialed at a brewery for 6 months. The flow-cytometry assay offered a substantially reduced error in viability determination, compared to methylene blue which is the industry standard for measuring viability. Further, by calculating yeast cell number at the same time, this assay provides a reliable method for determining pitching rate, allowing increased quality control of subsequent fermentations.

