Miyashita, S.1, Haruna, K.1, Kikuchi, K.1, Kishimoto, T.1, Kobayashi, M.1 and Watanabe, T.1, (1)Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Research Laboratories for Alcohol Beverages, Moriya-shi, Ibaraki, JAPAN
Technical Session 6: Sensory
Tuesday, June 06, 2017
1:45–3:30 p.m.
Everglades Ballroom
Consumers use a variety of terms to describe beer flavors. In particular, the terms “body” and “kire” (the Japanese word for crispness or smoothness) are important attributes of good beer in the Japanese market. Although an internationally standardized definition of body has been established, no consensus has been reached on a definition for kire. At present, kire is generally defined in Japan as the difference in flavor between the first and last mouthfeel, and desirable kire leaves no residue or unpleasant flavors after drinking. In a previous study, we analyzed 14 brands of beer produced by major breweries in Japan, using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometry. In addition, to obtain quantitative data on the body and kire of each brand, analytical descriptive sensory testing was performed by a trained panel. Partial least squares regression analysis was conducted on the chemical and sensory data, and the results indicated that both taste and aromatic compounds affect the kire of beer, whereas taste compounds have a strong effect on the body of beer, and are important for the determination of body. It is well known that aroma has a strong influence on the quality and flavor of food. Therefore, the objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of aroma on the kire of beer. Samples of three kinds of beer, specifically the beer with the highest kire score and two beers with significantly weaker kire scores in the previous study, were used in the present study. Aroma was compared among the samples using the retronasal flavor impression screening system. In addition, the same trained panel performed sensory evaluations of the three kinds of beer. The results confirmed that beers with weaker kire had significantly higher levels of ethyl esters, acetates, and linalool aroma, and that these compounds significantly suppressed sensory evaluations of kire. Interestingly, the drinking temperature of the beer had a small effect on aroma of fusel alcohols, whereas aroma from the esters noted above decreased with lower temperatures. These findings suggest that aroma affects kire and that lowering the temperature improves kire.
Seiko Miyashita is an analyst in the Department of Brewing and Flavor Technology Research Laboratories for Alcohol Beverages at Asahi Breweries Ltd. She graduated from the Department of Material and Life Science in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University before joining Asahi Breweries Ltd. in 2009. She has been engaged in the research and development of analytical technology since 2011, with a particular focus in the area of brewing science.
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