Novel optochemical methos for the non destructive determination of oxygen in encapsulated beer bottles

A non destructive optochemical method for the determination of oxygen in factory filled beer ampoules is presented. The method requires that an oxygen sensitive membrane is inserted on the inner surface of the bottleneck of a beer bottle, before this is filled and closed. The sensitive membrane emits an oxygen dependent luminescence signal, which can be measured from outside by means of an opto-electronic read-out module. In this way it is possible to monitor the oxygen content in the bottle headspace over time. Consequently this method allows to determine the oxygen diffusion through the crown caps, and to investigate the oxygen consumption due to scavengers and to beer itself. Furthermore this technique offers a promising method for process control in the brewery industry.