EP-4741484-A2 - LOW-ALCOHOL BEER WITH REDUCED WORT FLAVOR

Abstract

The invention pertains to a beer having an ethanol content of 0 - 1.0 vol.%, comprising at least 0.001 µg/l ethyl-2-methylpentanoate (EMP). It has been found that EMP has a strong wort-flavor masking effect. A beer of the invention has low wort-flavor and less overpowering flavor, and is generally considered refreshing.

Inventors

• BROUWER, ERIC RICHARD
• SMIT, Hilda Els
• DODERER, ALBERT
• BEKKERS, Augustinus Cornelius Aldegonde Petrus Albert

Assignees

• Heineken Supply Chain B.V.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20180910

Claims (15)

1. A beer having an ethanol content of 0 - 1.0 vol.%, comprising 0.001 - 10 µg/l ethyl-2-methylpentanoate (EMP).
2. A beer according to claim 1, wherein the quantity of EMP is at least 0.004 µg/l, preferably 0.1 - 10 µg/l, more preferably 1 - 10 µg/l.
3. A beer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total of aldehydes, defined as the total of 2-methylpropanal, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylthiopropionaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, hexanal, trans-2-nonenal, benzaldehyde and furfural is less than 600 µg/l, preferably less than 400 µg/l, more preferably less than 200 µg/l, most preferably less than 80 µg/l.
4. A beer according to any of claims 1 - 3, wherein the total of Strecker aldehydes, defined as the total of 2-methylpropanal, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylthiopropionaldehyde, and phenylacetaldehyde, is less than 200 µg/l, preferably less than 150 µg/l, more preferably less than 100 µg/l, most preferably less than 50 µg/l.
5. A beer according to any of claims 1 -4, wherein the total sugar content, defined as the total of glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and maltotriose, is at least 0.2 g/100 ml, preferably 0.5 - 2.0 g/100 ml.
6. A beer according to any of claims 1 - 5, wherein the sugar content comprises at least 50 wt.% of maltose.
7. A beer according to any of claims 1 -6, further comprising 1 - 20 µg/l, preferably 1.5 - 5 µg/l ethyl propanoate, and/or 0.05 - 30 mg/l ethyl acetate, preferably 0.1 - 15 mg/l ethyl acetate.
8. A method for preparing a beer having an alcohol content of 0 - 1.0 vol.%, comprising a step of combination of a zero- or low alcohol beer with ethyl-2-methylpentanoate to a final concentration in said beer of 0.001 - 10 µg/l.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the combination with ethyl-2-methylpentanoate is achieved by combination with a flavoring comprising ethyl-2-methylpentanoate.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the flavoring is a flavor mix comprising ethyl-2-methylpentanoate.
11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the flavoring is a regular beer, preferably regular lager beer.
12. A method according to claim 11, comprising a step of mixing restricted-fermentation beer, preferably cold contact fermented beer, with regular beer, preferably regular lager beer.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the restricted-fermentation beer and the regular beer are mixed in a volumetric ratio of 1:99 - 99:1, preferably 5:95 - 50:50.
14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the mixing step is followed by vacuum distillation, and optional further addition of ethyl-2-methylpentanoate.
15. Use of ethyl-2-methylpentanoate in a concentration of 0.001 - 10 µg/l to mask worty flavor and/or to impart a refreshing flavor to a beer having an ethanol content of 0 - 1.0 vol.%.

Description

The present invention relates to an ester with particularly good wort-taste masking properties, which has been found an important contributor to beer taste. Background Beer is among the most popular alcoholic beverages worldwide. It is prepared by fermentation of a sugars-containing aqueous matrix derived from grains, using yeast which converts the sugars to ethanol ("alcohol"). The production process of beer is generally known. Beer is commonly made from cereal such as barley, although other cereal types such as wheat or sorghum may also be used. Beer is commonly produced by a process that comprises the following basic steps: mashing a mixture of grain and water to produce a mash; separating the mash in wort and spent grain; boiling the wort to produce a boiled wort; fermenting the boiled wort with live yeast (such as Saccharomyces pastorianus or Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to produce a fermented wort; subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps (e.g. maturation and filtration) to produce beer; and packaging the beer in a sealed container, e.g. a bottle, can or keg. In an exemplary process to produce a barley malt beer, the barley is malted, which means it germinated and subsequently dried ("kilning"), to produce malt. This process is important for the formation of taste and color compounds, and formation of enzymes which are important for further flavor development and starch degradation. Subsequently, the malt is milled and suspended in water ("mashing"). The mash is heated to facilitate starch degradation. Subsequent filtration results in wort, which is a more or less clarified aqueous solution of fermentable sugars, which also contains various flavors and aromas and many other compounds. In wort, both desirable and undesirable taste and aroma compounds are present. An overly "worty" flavor, which stems from excessive aldehyde presence, is generally considered undesirable. The wort is boiled to sterilize it, to precipitate proteins, and to concentrate it. Optionally hop is added, to add bitterness and flavor. This mixture, after removal of the precipitate, is subjected to fermentation. Fermentation results in conversion of fermentable sugars in ethanol and carbon dioxide, and also results in formation of various new flavor compounds, among which esters. At the same time, fermentation of beer removes most aldehydes, thereby preventing a worty flavor of the resulting beer. After fermentation, the beer may be filtered and/or stored, in order to optimize appearance and taste. Health concerns and increased awareness of traffic safety associated with the alcohol content of beer have spiked interest in beer having low or even zero alcohol content. At present, there are two main techniques for the preparation of beer having low or zero alcohol content: de-alcoholisation of regular (alcohol-containing) beer, and preparation of beer by a process which limits alcohol formation by means of an adapted fermentation ("restricted alcohol fermentation"). De-alcoholisation of beer is performed on regularly brewed beer, and is designed to remove ethanol, but as little as possible other flavor components. De-alcoholisation may be achieved by for instance rectification, reverse osmosis or dialysis of regular beer. However, it is challenging to prevent flavor deprivation upon de-alcoholisation of beer. Consequently, a drawback of de-alcoholised beer is a flat flavor, which may be corrected by addition of flavor (taste and odor) compounds in order to obtain an acceptable beer. However, as flavor is complex due to the large variety of compounds which together are responsible for imparting flavor, de-alcoholised and subsequently flavored beer is generally considered less agreeable in taste than the taste of regular beer. Low- or zero alcohol beer can also be prepared by restricted alcohol fermentation. Restricted alcohol fermentation is a process whereby wort is fermented under conditions where there is little or no ethanol formation (or at least, where the full fermentation process results in little or no net alcohol formation). One important process is cold contact fermentation. When wort is fermented at low temperature, yeast does barely produce alcohol, although it does produce some flavor components such as esters, even though quantities per ester may differ from the quantities obtained from regular fermentation. Therefore, flavor correction by addition of flavors and aromas is generally necessary also for restricted-fermentation beer. Such beers are also generally considered less agreeable in taste than regular beer. Existing low- or zero alcohol beers thus generally suffer from a lack of drinkability. Most people become saturated with the taste after only one or two glasses, which contrasts with the drinking of regular alcohol containing beer. The saturation with taste and resulting lack of drinkability is generally caused by an overpowering flavor, caused by overintense worty flavors due to high ald