Probably most folks on this forum are familiar with the lack of effectiveness from Starsan on certain microbes. Bryan from Sui Generis, not GBF, has released his first video in a new series and it explains the “myth” of the lack of effectiveness as well as providing a digestible description of how starsan actually works on the microscopic level. It’s very nice to see such an easy to understand description of how starsan works from someone who lives does this field of work for a living.
This has been a topic of discussion on the MTF FB group. I emailed Five Star and got the response below.
“StarSan was tested and approved for Ecoli and Staph which are both gram-positive bacteria aka larger bacteria. So short answer no we haven’t officially tested for the kill rate on yeast bacteria and mold. However knowing that StarSan kills those two bacteria in an EPA good lab practice testing I would be confident in it’s effectiveness.”
Video appears to be theoretical rather than based on actual kill data. Again the theory is plausible, but it isn’t clear how much contact time is required.
Is there a difference in effectiveness between the various stages of the yeast lifecycle? In particular, can dormant yeast survive StarSan or some other santiation treatments? I’ve seen odd references (but can’t quickly track them down now) to different gram reactions for yeast in different stages, and I wonder if this is indicative of sanitizer resistance.
[quote]This has been a topic of discussion on the MTF FB group. I emailed Five Star and got the response below.
“StarSan was tested and approved for Ecoli and Staph which are both gram-positive bacteria aka larger bacteria. So short answer no we haven’t officially tested for the kill rate on yeast bacteria and mold. However knowing that StarSan kills those two bacteria in an EPA good lab practice testing I would be confident in it’s effectiveness.”
They never tested, just assumed.
[/quote]
Just wanted to point out that E. coli is a gram-negative bacteria and gram staining doesn’t refer to size of bacteria. A bit pedantic I know and doesn’t change whether or not their product works, but Five Star reps should probably get that right given their line of products.
chlorine dioxide is a much better yeast washer - but starsan is a good sanitizer for anything preboil. Post boil for me peroxidic acid/Peracetic and iodophor. I don’t trust star san to clean my starter equip or my bottling equipment.
Good information. I’ve noticed as I’m sure others have that any leftover StarSan mixed with water and left in a bucket for a month or two will turn cloudy and might even have something “growing” in it after time, which has recently led to me switching back and forth now between StarSan and good old Clorox bleach for sanitization. I figure between the two, the critters are dying somewhere in there.
Not to mention I use glass to ferment now instead of plastic, except for very small experimental batches where I’m not afraid to use gallon “milk” jugs for one-offs (I would not re-use these).
I sanitize my mash tun, my BIAB set up gets a starsan treatment, my utensils, my thermocouple, my chiller sits in starsan until about 10mins before end of boil. That’s the only sanitizer I use on it before it gets put up. I don’t use iodophors or peroxidic acid on my mash tun stuff or my utensils because they don’t really need it because they are only used preboil and utensils during boil.
Well I am not going to leave them unsanitary on the shelf, but I understand most just soap and rinse. Which is fine, I just like to sanitize my stuff before they get put back on the shelf. I guess that’s just me?? I know it is an extra step, but I like it. I also burn alcohol in my boil kettle after I clean and rinse it, so idk, again just me, and then it gets a hit with starsan too before it gets put up.
. Me too, I just had some very minor issues with Star San which could be operator error, but they cleared with Iodophor. Also considering using boiling water or pressure cooker as a pre-treat on sour-exposed equipment to get where the chemicals might miss. Steam is impractical for me.