A. R. SPEVACEK (1), K. L. Benson (2), C. W. Bamforth (1), C. M. Slupsky (1);
(1) UC Davis, Davis, CA, U.S.A.; (2) MillerCoors, Golden, CO, U.S.A.
Technical Session 8 - Methods of Analysis
Tuesday, June 16
1:30–3:15 p.m.
Fiesta 3,4,6,8
Many of the macromolecular details of the brewing process have been elucidated in the several millennia that have elapsed since the first beer was brewed. However, as analytical techniques evolve in their sophistication and sensitivity, there are opportunities for delving ever more deeply into the fate of small molecules in brewing. We have used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics to follow the progression of the small molecules in four different beers (brewed in triplicate) at five time points throughout the brewing process. The majority of the metabolites that we identified significantly changed in concentration from the start of the boil to after secondary fermentation. In addition, we observed differences in several metabolite concentrations between dry- and late-hopped beers. These results give molecular insight into the brewing process and the effects of hops on yeast metabolism. Monitoring the small molecule profile of brews with NMR metabolomics could assist in evaluating yeast health and in early detection of bacterial contamination.
Ann Spevacek is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Carolyn Slupsky at UC Davis. She is an NMR spectroscopist who received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from UC Santa Cruz. Her research background includes metabolomics and protein structure and function. She is currently involved in a number of projects involving the metabolomics of food. She has a particular interest in applying NMR metabolomics to brewing in order to understand phenomena such as the effects of hops on yeast metabolism.
