Effect of dry hopping on the oxidative stability of beer

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used todeterminethe effect of dry hopping on the oxidative stability and antioxidative potential of beer.Commercial beerwasdry-hopped at 5 °C and 20 °Cwith six hop varieties (Polish and American). The rate of radical formation and lag time were found to depend on the variety of hop used. An increase in the lag time and a decrease in the rate of radical formation occurred when dry-hopping was performed at 20 °C for all hop varieties (at 5 °C in some varieties). The lag time had a strong correlation with the TPC (total polyphenols content) in beer. The rate of radical formation was correlated with the iron content of the beer. A decrease in iron concentration was observed after dry-hopping at 20 °C. Overall, the evaluation of free radical formation using ESR is useful for predicting oxidative changes in beer during storage.

Technological influence on sensory stability and antioxidant activity of beers measured by ORAC and FRAP

BACKGROUND

Many studies have confirmed a wide variation in the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of beers. However, when commercial beers are studied, there is usually no information available on the brewing technology applied. In this study, technological parameters were varied systematically to influence the antioxidant content of beer with a view to improving its flavor stability. High-throughput assays, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were investigated as fast analytical methods to evaluate the influence of brewing technology on antioxidant activity.

RESULTS

Beers (n = 12) were brewed with systematic technological variations (malt modification, hopping regime) to influence the antioxidant potential. A late hop addition resulted in significantly higher phenolic content (high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection - HPLC-DAD) and antioxidant activity. Raw protein content and malt modification significantly influenced phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of beers hopped at the beginning of wort boiling. Samples were stored under forced and natural conditions and were evaluated by a sensory panel. The decline of bitter iso-α-acids as an analytical marker for oxidative aging was significantly lower in beers brewed from malts with high raw protein content. These samples also had higher antioxidant activity values. Panelists gave higher ratings for beer quality to aged beers with a late hop addition. However, late hopping resulted in enhanced hoppy aroma attributes and therefore an altered aroma profile.

CONCLUSIONS

Both antioxidant capacity methods were well suited as fast methods to evaluate brewing raw material and technological influence on antioxidant activity. The appropriate choice of barley malt and the malting regime could be promising tools to enhance the antioxidant activity of traditionally hopped beers. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Antioxidative Mechanisms of Sulfite and Protein-Derived Thiols during Early Stages of Metal Induced Oxidative Reactions in Beer

The radical-mediated reactions occurring during the early stages of beer storage were studied by following the rate of oxygen consumption, radical formation as detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and concentrations of the antioxidant compounds sulfite and thiols. Addition of either Fe(III) or Fe(II) had similar effects, indicating that a fast redox equilibrium is obtained between the two species in beer. Addition of iron in combination with hydrogen peroxide gave the most pronounced levels of oxidation due to a direct initiation of ethanol oxidation through generation of hydroxyl radicals by the Fenton reaction. The concentration of sulfite decreased more than the thiol concentration, suggesting that thiols play a secondary role as antioxidants by mainly quenching 1-hydroxyethyl radicals that are intermediates in the oxidation of ethanol. Increasing the temperature had a minor effect on the rate of oxygen consumption.