Evaluation of volatile compound profiles and sensory properties of dark and pale beers fermented by different strains of brewing yeast

Abstract

To evaluate the differences in the volatile compound profile of dark and pale beers fermented by different strains of brewer's yeast, gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of eight beers was carried out. The prevalent group of compounds in all the beers analysed were alcohols (56.41-72.17%), followed by esters (14.58-20.82%), aldehydes (8.35-20.52%), terpenes and terpenoids (1.22-6.57%) and ketones (0.42-1.00%). The dominant higher alcohols were 2-methylpropan-1-ol, 3-methylbutanol, phenethyl alcohol, among aldehydes furfural, decanal, nonanal, and among esters ethyl acetate, phenylethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate. Beers fermented by the top-fermenting yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus had the highest volatile co