Submission Date

7-21-2017

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Chemistry

Faculty Mentor

Eric Williamsen

Comments

Presented during the 19th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 21, 2017 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Beer is a food product where many factors such as temperature and ingredients determine the unique flavor profile of the finished product. Bavarian–style wheat beer is known for the flavors of cloves and banana. This unique flavor profile is influenced heavily by the strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae used in production. During the fermentation process this yeast produces unique aromatic compounds like 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol which contribute to the clove flavor. The ability to accurately measure and control the amount and presence of the chemical compounds greatly improves the reproducibility of the product. Samples were collected from a solution of fermenting wort in similar conditions used in brewing. The aromas produced by the yeast strain, SB-06 manufactured by SAFBREW, were measured qualitatively and quantitatively by use of gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC – MS). This method was chosen because it can separate the complex mixture of beer into individual components. Further, the individual components measured using mass spectrometry can be identified by comparison to literature spectra. Many aromatic products from the yeast were detected however the characteristic flavor compound 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol was identified. Different sampling techniques were used to determine which methods best characterize the yeast’s production of flavor contributing compounds over time. It was determined that the best quantitative measurements of 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol were collected by using selective ion monitoring and diluting the sample in methanol.

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