Searching the world of hops and brewing to bring you the latest news and research ... so you don‘t have to!
Esters can turn beer into wine…
Beer and wine are really different in terms of aroma characteristics, you might think. This German research team used big data and did a comprehensive literature survey on the topic of beer and wine aroma characteristics. They found 14 845 concentration values obtained from 160 beer and 904 wine samples, covering 42 basic beer and 42 basic wine aroma compounds, among which 40 are common to both beverages. Based on mean concentrations and a comparison with threshold data, 29 beer and 32 wine aroma compounds were finally selected to
build aroma base models that reflect the basic olfactory difference between beer and wine. Orthonasal concentration leveling tests applied to groups of odorants with similar aroma compounds characteristics finally revealed the crucial role of fruity smelling compounds. When 11 fruity compounds, predominantly esters, in the beer aroma base model were adjusted to the respective concentration levels in the wine aroma base model, the sensory panel no longer described the sample as beer-like but as wine-like. In contrast, the impact of the matrix composition, including different alcohol contents, was only minor.
Xingjie Wang, Stephanie Frank, and Martin Steinhaus, Molecular Insights into the Aroma Difference between Beer and Wine: A Meta-Analysis-Based Sensory Study Using Concentration Leveling Tests, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2024 72 (40), 22250-22257
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c06838, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c06838
For the sake of hop utilisation choose your barley wisely...
A persistent challenge in brewing is the efficient utilization of hop bitter acids, with about 50% of these compounds precipitating with trub during wort boiling. This German Research Team investigated the correlation between the barley cultivar proteome and hop bitter acid utilization during wort boiling. Malted barley serves as the primary source of proteinaceous material in both wort and beer. However, a significant portion of these proteins coagulate as trub. The composition of the barley proteome is inherently influenced by genotype, with slight modifications occurring during the malting process. Therefore, comparative experiments were conducted using two cultivars, Liga and Solist, with varying proteomes to identify specific proteins’ role in hop bitter acids precipitation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure hop bitter acid content, while liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify and identify proteins. The 107 protein groups, particularly enzymes linked to barley metabolic defense mechanisms, exhibited significant differences between the two cultivars. Results revealed significantly lower α- and iso-α-acid content in wort produced from the barley cultivar Liga. This study highlights the critical role of the barley proteome in optimizing process efficiency by enhancing hop utilization through barley cultivar selection. So your question to the malster you trust should be “Is this a bitter acid high yielding barley variety?”
Mariana B. C. Pinto, Flavio L. Schmidt, Zhuo Chen, Juri Rappsilber, Brian Gibson, and Philip C. Wietstock, The Influence of Barley Proteome on Hop Bitter Acid Yield during Brewing, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2024 72 (38), 21166-21180 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04396, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04396
Why not package your beer cans in brewery’s spent grain?
Waste valorization and sustainability are on everybody’s agenda, in private as in professional life. In terms of packaging new technologies are being developed as alternatives to synthetic polymers. Biodegradable active packaging from natural and sustainable sources has gained prominence by considering a circular economy and extending the food shelf life. These Brazilian Researchers aimed to develop and characterize an active biodegradable packaging based on cassava starch and poly(vinyl alcohol) with brewery’s spent grain extract (BSGE) as a natural antioxidant. The BSGE was evaluated for its antioxidant activity and its total phenolic content (TPC), showing a high antioxidant potential. The increase in the concentration of the BSGE in the active film formulations resulted in an increase in their thickness and density due to higher soluble solids in the extract samples. The films did not experience negative impact on their tensile strength and elongation at break when higher concentrations of the BSGE were added; also, their microstructural characteristics were preserved, which makes them potential candidates for being applied as active food packaging. The release of the TPC from the films in water media occurs with a higher intensity in the initial stages. These results indicate that biodegradable active films with higher concentrations of the BSGE (10BSGE) have potential as sustainable and efficient packaging for food preservation, reducing the environmental impact and adding value to the industrial by products. And for the sake of antioxidant behaviour, if you increase the hop addition in brewing, the packaging material made out of your spent grain can only get better.
F. J. A. Vieira, F. R. Ludka, K. M. Diniz, A. B. Klosowski, and J. B. Olivato, Biodegradable Active Packaging Based on an Antioxidant Extract from Brewer’s Spent Grains: Development and Potential of Application, ACS Sustainable Resource Management Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00277, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00277
