The oxygenated sesquiterpenoid fraction of hops in relation to the spicy hop character of beer

Hop-derived sesquiterpenoid-type oxidation products have been associated with a spicy or herbal hoppy beer character. However, the flavour threshold values of hitherto identified oxygenated sesquiterpenes are generally much higher than their estimated levels in beer. By applying two-step supercritical fluid extraction of hop pellets using carbon dioxide. followed by chromatographic purification of the enriched sesquiterpenoid fraction, highly specific varietal hop oil essences containing all main oxygenated sesquiterpenes were obtained. Post-fermentation addition (at ppb levels) of these purified sesquiterpenoid essences from various European aroma hops led to distinctive spicy or herbal flavour notes, reminiscent of typical 'noble' hop aroma. It is concluded that a spicy hop flavour impression in beer depends significantly on minor constituents of the natural sesquiterpenoid hop oil fraction

Validation of an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the quantification of cysteinylated aldehydes and application to malt and beer samples

This paper describes the method validation for the simultaneous determination of seven cysteinylated aldehydes, i.e. 2-substituted 1,3-thiazolidines-4-carboxylic acids, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS). Authentic reference compounds were first synthesized for identification and quantification purposes. Moreover, nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR and 13C NMR) was applied for verification of their structure, while ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS) was applied for estimation of the purity. The method for quantification of cysteinylated aldehydes in model solutions has been validated according to the criteria and procedures described in international standards. The synthesized compounds were successfully identified via UHPLC–MS by comparing retention time and MS spectra with the commercial reference compounds. Method validation revealed good linearity (R2 > 0.995) over the range of 0.4–2.2 µg/L to approximately 1000 µg/L, depending on the analyte. The limits of quantification varied from 0.9 to 4.3 µg/L depending on the nature of the compound. Furthermore, evaluation of the method showed good accuracy and stability of the standard solutions. Reported chromatographic recoveries ranged from 112 to 120%. Consequently, the currently described method was applied on malt and beer samples. For the first time, quantification of cysteinylated aldehydes was obtained in malt. In contrast, in fresh beers unambiguous identification of these compounds was not achieved. © 201