Search: sensory analysis of beer

This method is employed for determining the appropriate level of intensity for certain product attributes.

One of the basic prerequisites for properly conducting sensory analysis is selecting suitable candidates as members of the tasting panel.

A joint project in 2005 was organized by industry partners Hopsteiner, HVG and Johann Barth & Sohn along with the Central Marketing Organization of the German Agricultural Industries (CMA) and became known as the CMA scheme. This objective of this tasting scheme is to determine hop-related factors influencing the sensory analysis of beer.

First of all, the intensity and quality of the hop aroma and flavor are evaluated in their entirety according to a ten-point scale with 0 as unpleasant and 10 as very good/very pleasant. Then, the intensities of individual characteristics are also ranked on a ten-point scale, with 0 as imperceptible and 10 as very intense. For beer with a pronounced hop aroma, the following descriptors have become established in recent decades: fruity, floral, citrus, green-grassy and hop-spicy. These are available for specific training in the evaluation of hop oil fractions. Distinctive aromas detected by tasters can be described in the space provided. In order to characterize the overall impact of the hops, the bitterness is also evaluated sensorially. Both the intensity and the quality/harmony are evaluated on a ten-point scale, with 0 rated as completely lacking balance and 10 as very harmonious.

The mean values of the intensity of the hop aroma and flavor as well as the intensity of the bitterness are given on the score sheet (i.e., the sum of the scores divided by the number of tasters). The mean value of each aroma characteristic is reproduced as a spider diagram. The individual values should be checked for outliers prior to the calculating the mean. Since quality assessments are subjective by nature, the mean values can only be of limited value. However, they can be beneficial in determining whether any distinctive aroma or flavor characteristics were judged by the majority to be pleasant or unpleasant. The same applies to assessing the quality of the bitterness. 

Glucose is phosphorylated by the enzyme hexokinase (HK) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P).

\(\text{Glucose + ATP} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{HK}}} \space \text{G-6-P + ADP}\)

In the presence of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6P-DH), G-6-P is oxidized by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺) to gluconate-6-phosphate. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is formed:

\(\text{G-6-P + NADP}^+ \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{G6P-DH}}} \space \text{gluconate-6-phosphate + NADPH + H}^+\)

The amount of NADPH+H⁺ formed during the reaction is equivalent to the amount of glucose. NADPH+H⁺ is determined based upon its absorbance at 340 nm.

Note:

Alternatively,  NAD⁺/NADH + H⁺ can be used instead of NADP⁺/NADPH+ H⁺:

\(\text{G-6-P + NAD}^+ \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{G6P-DH}}} \space \text{Gluconate-6-Phosphate + NAD + H}^+\)

Glucose and fructose are phosphorylated by the enzyme hexokinase (HK) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) and fructose 6-phosphate (F-6-P):

\(\text{Glucose + ATP} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{HK}}} \space \text{G-6-P + ADP}\)

\(\text{Fructose + ATP} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{HK}}} \space \text{F-6-P + ADP}\)

In the presence of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6P-DH), G-6-P is oxidized from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺) to gluconate-6-phosphate. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP + H⁺) is formed:

\(\text{G-6-P + NADP}^+ \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{G6P-DH}}} \space \text{Gluconate-6-phosphate + NADPH + H}^+\)

The amount of NADP + H⁺ formed during the reaction is equivalent to the amount of glucose. NADPH + H⁺ is a measurand and is determined based on its absorbance at 340 nm.

After the reaction is complete, F-6-P is converted to G-6-P by phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI):

\(\text{F-6-P} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{PGI}}} \space \text{G-6-P}\)

The amount of NADPH + H⁺ formed during the reaction is equivalent to the amount of fructose. NADPH + H⁺ is the parameter being measured and is determined on the basis of its absorption at 340 nm.

G-6-P reacts in turn with NADP⁺ to form gluconate-6-phosphate and NADP + H⁺. The additional amount of NADP + H⁺ formed is equivalent to the amount of fructose and is determined photometrically based on its absorption at 340 nm.

Note:

Alternatively, NAD⁺/NAD + H⁺ can be used instead of NADP⁺/NADPH + H⁺:

\(\text{G-6-P + NAD}^+ \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{G6P-DH}}} \space \text{Gluconate-6-Phosphate + NAD + H}^+\)

The D-glucose content is determined before and after enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose. D-fructose is measured following D-glucose determination.

D-glucose/D-fructose determination before inversion:

Glucose and fructose are phosphorylated by the enzyme hexokinase (HK) and adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) to glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P):

\(\text{Glucose + ATP} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{HK}}} \space \text{G-6-P + ADP}\)

\(\text{Fructose + ATP} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{HK}}} \space \text{F-6-P + ADP}\)

In the presence of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6P-DH), G-6-P is oxidized from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺) to gluconate-6-phosphate. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP + H⁺) is formed:

\(\text{G-6-P + NADP}^+ \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{G6P-DH}}} \space \text{Gluconate-6-phosphate + NADP + H}^+\)

The amount of NADP + H⁺ formed during the reaction is equivalent to the amount of glucose. NADP + H⁺ is measurand and is determined based on its absorbance at 340 nm.

After the reaction is complete, F-6-P is converted to G-6-P by phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI):

\(\text{F-6-P} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{PGI}}} \space \text{G-6-P}\)

G-6-P reacts in turn with NADP⁺ to form gluconate-6-phosphate and NADP + H⁺. The additional amount of NADP + H⁺ formed is equivalent to the amount of fructose and is determined photometrically based on its absorbance at 340 nm.

Enzymatic inversion:

Sucrose is hydrolyzed to glucose and fructose by the enzyme β-fructosidase (invertase) at pH 4.6:

\(\text{Saccharose + H}{_2}\text{O} \space ^{\underrightarrow{\text{β-Fructosidase}}} \space \text{Glucose + Fructose}\)

The D-glucose determination after inversion (total D-glucose) is carried out as described above.

The sucrose content is calculated from the difference between the glucose concentration before and after enzymatic inversion.