6. Sensory and instrumental analyses of compounds affecting the KIRE (crispness) of beer
Seiko Miyashita (1), Minoru Kobayashi (1), Kaori Kikuchi (1), Naoki Kato (1), Susumu Masuda (1), Masayuki Aizawa (1); (1) Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Moriya, Ibaraki, Japan
Technical Session 2: Sensory I
Sunday, August 14 • 9:45–11:30 a.m.
Tower Building, Second Level, Grand Ballroom
In the development of beer products, it is extremely important to
understand the relationship between the flavor characteristics of beer
and compounds that affect sensory evaluations. Consumers use a variety
of terms to describe beer flavors. In particular, the terms body and
smoothness are important when evaluating beer flavors in the Japanese
market. Although an internationally standardized definition of body has
been established, no consensus has been reached on a definition for
smoothness. At present in Japan, smoothness is generally defined as the
difference in flavor between the first and last mouthfeel, and desirable
smoothness leaves no residue or unpleasant flavors after drinking. To
identify compounds that affect beer smoothness, 14 kinds of lager-type
beer and low-malt beer produced by major breweries in Japan were
analyzed. Gas chromatography-flame ionization detection was used for the
measurement of flavor compounds, and high-performance liquid
chromatography and spectrophotometry were used for the measurement of
taste compounds. Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) data regarding
the body and smoothness of each sample was also collected using a
trained panel. For the selection of the candidate compounds affecting
body and smoothness, chemical and sensory data were subjected to
projection to latent structure (PLS) regression analysis to calculate
PLS models that can predict each sensory attribute. The results of the
analysis revealed a highly predictive PLS model for body using the data
for taste compounds. Smoothness was strongly correlated with QDA data
and the predictive PLS models for both flavor and taste compounds;
however, smoothness showed a weak correlation when only the data for
taste compounds were included. Additionally, using sensory evaluations,
we assessed the effect of such compounds as medium-chain fatty acids,
hop aroma, and esters, which significantly affect smoothness. The
results confirmed that these compounds were negatively correlated with
smoothness.
Seiko Miyashita is an analyst at the Department of Brewing and
Flavor Technology Research Laboratories for Alcohol Beverages at Asahi
Breweries Ltd. She graduated from the Department of Material and Life
Science in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University before
joining Asahi Breweries Ltd. in 2009. She has been engaged in the
research and development of analytical technology since 2011, with a
particular focus in the area of brewing science.
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