Evaluating the Chemical Components and Flavor Characteristics Responsible for Triggering the Perception of "Beer Flavor" in Non-Alcoholic Beer.

Christian Schubert,Kay Senn,Nils Rettberg,Hildegarde Heymann,Scott Lafontaine,Laura Knoke,Annegret Cantu,Johanna Dennenlöhr,Jörg Maxminer

doi:10.3390/foods9121914

Christian Schubert, Kay Senn + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9121914

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Abstract

Forty-two commercial non-alcoholic beer (NAB) brands were analyzed using sensory and chemical techniques to understand which analytes and/or flavors were most responsible for invoking the perception of “beer flavor” (for Northern Californian consumers). The aroma and taste profiles of the commercial NABs, a commercial soda, and a carbonated seltzer water (n = 44) were characterized using replicated descriptive and CATA analyses performed by a trained sensory panel (i.e., 11 panelists). A number of non-volatile and volatile techniques were then used to chemically deconstruct the products. Consumer analysis (i.e., 129 Northern Californian consumers) was also used to evaluate a selection of these NABs (i.e., 12) and how similar they thought the aroma, taste and mouthfeels of these products were to beer, soda, and water. The results show that certain constituents drive the aroma and taste profiles which are responsible for invoking beer perception for these North American consumers. Further, beer likeness might not be a driver of preference in this diverse beverage class for Northern Californian consumers. These are important insights for brewers planning to create products for similar markets and/or more broadly for companies interested in designing other functional/alternative food and beverage products.

Highlights

There is evidence that non-drinkers, Millennials, and Generation Z consumers are driving increased demand for healthier beverage alternatives to alcohol [1]
least significant difference (LSD) test at p < 0.05), the consumer and trained panels observed clear differences in how similar the different commercial non-alcoholic beer (NAB) were to beer, soda, and sparkling flavored water (Table 1)
While the consumers perceived R1 to be moderately similar to soda and slightly similar to sparkling flavored water. This is not that surprising because these products are much different than traditional NABs with the hop water containing only hops and no malted barley and the radler has a wheat base that has been blended with citrus juice

Summary

Introduction

There is evidence that non-drinkers, Millennials, and Generation Z consumers are driving increased demand for healthier beverage alternatives to alcohol [1]. The global NAB market is projected to significantly expand and multi-national brewing companies and craft breweries are beginning to prioritize the development of non-alcoholic, low-alcohol, and alcohol-free brands to meet these demands. And currently, lager-type/low-calorie beer styles have been and are still the core beer styles produced and globally distributed by major multi-national brewing companies [2]. It is not surprising that a majority of non-alcoholic brands have been designed to have some of the main characteristics of these flagship alcoholic lager brands [3]. Most past research investigating beer flavor has been focused on lager beer flavor and/or stability [4]. Lager styles tend to frame the general discussion of what brewers and/or researchers consider “beer flavor”

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