Changes in the Physicochemical Properties of Pale Lager Beer during Storage in Different Packaging Materials

Abstract

The aim of this research was to quantitatively evaluate the changes in the physicochemical properties of pale lager beer during a six-month storage period. The measured parameters were: original and apparent extract, specific gravity, alcohol by volume, pH value, color, bitterness, polyphenols, turbidity (haze), dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and foam stability. The beer was filled and stored into four different packaging types: brown glass bottles, polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET), aluminum cans, and stainless-steel beer kegs, all at a temperature of 20 ± 1.0 °C. There were changes in haze (turbidity), color, and dissolved oxygen values in all of the beer samples stored in the different types of packaging (expressed with the coefficient of variance) with the most significant changes in general found in the beer stored in the PET bottles. The most similar changes were found when correlating changes in beer samples stored in the glass packaging with changes in beer samples stored in kegs (a correlation factor of r = 0.971), while the beer samples stored in glass packaging when compared with the changes in beer samples in PET bottles showed the most change (r = 0.870).