Beverages

Rosé wines are commonly consumed as young wines mainly due to their freshness and fruity character. Nevertheless, in recent years a new market looking for alternatives to traditional wines has emerged. Considering this, the study of the volatile and sensory profiles of a varietal rosé wine aged with oak chips was carried out. Two Cabernet Sauvignon rosé wines were made: one was maturated with oak chips and the other without. Both wines were physicochemically characterized. Then, their volatile and sensory profiles were analyzed, also including two commercial wines. The results showed that the produced wines complied with Mexican regulations. Also, they showed greater relative areas in compounds such as ethyl (E)-2-hexenoate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl nonanoate, ethyl 3-nonenoate, β-citronellol, (±)-trans-nerolidol, and β-damascenone. In their sensory profile, they were mostly related to attributes such as berries, prune, bell pepper, and herbaceous notes. Among the compounds related to barrel maturation, only cis-oak-lactone was identified in the rosé wine matured with chips. However, it was associated with vanilla, woody, smoky, and spicy attributes. According to the results, the maturation of rosé wines with oak chips could be a good alternative to provide them with unusual notes and thus offer new alternatives to traditional and new wine consumers. Full article

Owing to the unique chemical properties exhibited by beer flavor compounds, different extraction methods have been utilized to extract these compounds from the sample matrix. Carbonyl compounds, which significantly contribute to flavor instability in beer, pose challenges in detection due to their low concentrations and reactivity. Consequently, the analysis of beer flavor compounds has focused on improving sensitivity and specificity through techniques that minimize sample preparation requirements and reduce interactions between factors involved in the analysis. Notably, extraction techniques such as headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), and gas diffusion microextraction (GDME) have been successfully applied to the analysis of carbonyl compounds in alcoholic beverages, including beer. Derivatization agents like 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) enhance the volatility and stability of analytes, facilitating their separation and detection in gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. Chromatographic separation methods, particularly gas chromatography and liquid chromatography, are extensively employed to identify and quantify aroma/flavor compounds in various foodstuffs, including beer. This review provides a comprehensive overview of extraction techniques and chromatographic methods used in the analysis of beer compounds. Full article

Sulfite is a common preservative in wine, but the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis can produce volatile phenols even with the recommended sulfite dose. The purpose of this study was to examine how wine components, p-coumaric acid (a precursor of volatile phenols), and micronutrients influence culturability, viability, and volatile phenols production by B. bruxellensis under sulfite stress. In red wine, a high sulfite dose (potassium metabisulfite, 100 mg L⁻¹) led to an immediate death phase followed by growth recovery after two weeks. However, 4-ethylphenol (4-EP) was continuously produced by dead or nonculturable cells. Nonetheless, an event of growth recovery could not be observed in the case of the model wine. However, when the model wine was supplemented with minerals and vitamins, both growth recovery and 4-EP production were noticed, suggesting that the minerals and vitamins played an important role in maintaining the viability of cells under the sulfite stress. The yeast could also utilize the p-coumaric acid (p-CA) as an energy source, showing a specific growth rate of 0.0142 h⁻¹ with 1 mM of p-CA in model wine. Furthermore, the sulfite-stressed cells exhibited ATP production by means of proton efflux while utilizing the p-CA. This work highlights the novel finding that the conversion of p-CA into 4-EP provides sufficient energy for the cell to remain metabolically active under the sulfite stress. Full article

Fermentation processes used for producing alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and cider have a long history, having been developed early on across different civilizations. In most instances, yeast strains are used for fermentation processes, e.g., at breweries and wineries. Monitoring of yeast viability, cell count, and growth behavior is essential to ensure a controlled fermentation process. However, classical microbiological techniques to monitor fermentation process parameters are time-consuming and require sampling, along with the risk of contamination. Nowadays, industries are moving toward automation and digitalization. This necessitates state-of-the-art process analytical technologies to ensure an efficient and controlled process to obtain high-quality product outputs. Hence, there is a strong need for a fast, non-invasive, and generally applicable method to evaluate the viability of yeast cells during fermentation to warrant the standardization and purity of produced products in industrial applications. The aim of our study is to discriminate between viable and non-viable yeast in various culture media using Raman spectroscopy (RS) followed by data analysis with machine learning (ML) tools. These techniques allow for rapid, non-invasive analysis addressing the limitations of traditional methods. The present work primarily focuses on the evaluation of RS combined with predictive ML models in a non-real-time setting. Our goal is to adapt these techniques for future application in real-time monitoring and determination of yeast viability in biotechnological processes. We demonstrate that RS, in combination with ML, is a promising tool for non-invasive inline monitoring of fermentation processes. Full article

While the Saaz aromatic variety remains classified as a total-flavanoid-rich cultivar, no inverse correlation was found between total flavanoids and the α-acid content when the dual-purpose varieties Citra, CTZ, Amarillo, Eureka!, Mandarina Bavaria, Mosaic, Polaris, and Sabro were considered. The levels of hop flavan-3-ol monomers, dimers, and trimers (quantitated by HPLC-MS/MS) appeared strongly influenced by variety and harvest year. On the other hand, the catechin/epicatechin ratio (and B3/B2 ratio) proved stable within the same variety through two successive harvest years. Among the nine herein-investigated varieties, Citra and Saaz displayed notable catechin/epicatechin ratios (>3.7 compared to <1.6 for the others), whereas Polaris exhibited the lowest monomer content (less than 800 mg/kg). These distinctive profiles could impact the colloidal and color stability of hop-forward beers. Full article

Due to current trends in beer consumption, as well as social aspects, such as the education of society on combining drinking and driving, intensive research and development efforts have been recently focused on producing low-alcohol beers and non-alcoholic beers with a sensory profile appealing to consumers. There are plenty of methods for obtaining such beverages; one of these methods involves utilizing non-conventional yeasts for wort fermentation. In this work, the production of low-alcohol beer using commercially available Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Torulaspora delbrueckii strains were compared. The results showed that Torulaspora delbrueckii achieved the lowest level of attenuation, producing beer with an ethanol concentration of 2.58% vol. Saccharomycodes ludwigii displayed a slightly higher level of attenuation; however, its alcohol concentration was slightly lower than in the case of Torulaspora delbrueckii and reached 2.50% vol. Fully fermented beers produced using Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Torulaspora delbrueckii represented reduced ethanol concentrations by 12% and 15%, respectively, in comparison to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nevertheless, in order to produce non-alcoholic beers, arrested fermentation is necessary. In such a case, Saccharomycodes ludwigii reached the highest level of attenuation among non-alcoholic beers. Full article

The most well-known traditional Greek grape marc distillate made from winemaking pomace is called “Tsipouro”. Its production involves various grape pomace cultivars, preparation protocols, and anise-flavoring or not, and it should be a colorless liquid with intense organoleptic properties due to the raw materials used in its production and have a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5% by volume. This study aimed to characterize the volatilome of tsipouro products by covering as many geographical areas and production styles as possible, as there is a lack of characterization of the aromatic composition of this Greek traditional alcoholic beverage. A Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method was applied in 60 samples, resulting in the identification and semi-quantification of over 90 volatile compounds. The statistical analysis pointed out the metabolites that characterized each traditional product group and underlined the influence of the geographical origin and the production protocol. Aniseed spirits from Northern Greece, Macedonia, Limnos Island, and Thessaly, produced from Muscat pomaces, were found to be richer in terpenes, terpenoids, and flavored compounds, attributing to product aroma and quality; different terpenoids were found to be dominant in Muscat distillates from different regions, showing the importance of geographical origin and production process. In conclusion, the results demonstrated the high aroma variability of the Greek Tsipouro, explained that this diversity is caused mainly by the raw material, and could be helpful in the better protection of the origin of this traditional product and the improvement of its quality. Full article

Whiskey’s complex and diverse flavor stems from a range of reactions that create congeners that are primarily dependent upon the cereal source/mash bill and each stage of the process: malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, and cask maturation. Therefore, in theory, the congener profile of a whiskey is a summation of its ingredients and the specific parameters of each stage of the manufacturing process. Congener profiles have been used as biomarkers for quality and authentication; however, to date, insufficient information has been published in relation to the extensive profiling of congeners associated with specific whiskey styles/types or the intra-and inter-variability within brands, especially in an Irish context due to the recent rapid expansion of the industry. As the ability to extract and identify congeners has progressed appreciably in recent years due to advances in extraction, chromatographic, and chemometric techniques, it is imperative that research is undertaken to gain a better understanding of the impact of specific congeners not only in relation to quality but also as biomarkers for authentication. Full article

The objective of the current research was to study the effect of different alcohol reduction technologies on the chemical aromatic composition of La Mancha Tempranillo rosé wines. Volatile compounds were analysed using Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), with previous isolation by solid phase extraction (SPE). C₆ compounds were the only group of varietal compounds that was modified when the total dealcoholizing process was used. According to their odor descriptor, the volatile compounds were grouped into six odorant series. The total intensity of each aromatic series was calculated by adding the OAVs of the compounds appointed to this series. All wines showed the same sequence, only modified the intensity of the principal aromatic series, mainly in total dealcoholized wines. These studied wines maintain the aromatic typicality independently from ethanol concentration, which highlights the viability of these techniques as an alternative to the traditional winemaking process, which will allow diversifying wine’s actual market. Full article

To improve the quality of fermented chickpea beverages, a highly nutritious substitute for dairy, the Box-Behnken design and the response surface methodology were used to obtain optimized ultrasonic parameters for producing ultrasound-assisted fermented chickpea beverages. The determining parameters were the lactic acid, reducing sugar content, and the cell viability of the treated product. The most significant parameters obtained were frequency and treatment duration, while power density was relatively insignificant. The optimum fermentation parameters obtained were a treatment start time of 3 h, treatment duration of 80 min, frequency of 27.5 kHz, and power density of 100 W/L with optimum yields of 0.23096 mg/mL, 2.92898 mg/mL, and 0.488189 for reducing sugar, lactic acid, and cell viability index, respectively, with desirability above 0.95. Further analysis of the ultrasound treatment’s effect on the product’s structure showed the ultrasound-assisted fermented chickpea beverage was more structurally stable and homogenous, with even distribution of macromolecules present. Full article

Probiotic products have been the focus of research for several years due to the potential of their biological properties to impact mental health, mood, and cognitive functions. Kombucha is a probiotic drink that has been reported to be beneficial for mental health, particularly at the level of emotion regulation. This study aims to understand the perception of the Portuguese and Brazilian populations regarding the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha, as well as to understand these consumers’ perceptions related to the impact on emotion regulation (and the impact of this consumption on emotion regulation). The research was conducted through an online questionnaire and had a total sample of 256 participants. The results show that there are no statistically significant differences between the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha when comparing the Portuguese and Brazilian samples. Additionally, this study reveals a significant association between probiotic consumption patterns in both the Portuguese and Brazilian samples. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha and emotion regulation. This study intends to contribute to the increase in knowledge about the perception of probiotics and Kombucha consumption in relation to emotion regulation, and to draw attention to the importance of this topic in the community (society, academia, and industry). Full article

This study aimed to assess the metal content of tannic extracts obtained from grapevine canes, to evaluate their suitability as wood shavings for direct infusion during the aging process of alcoholic beverages or vinegars. Traditional barrel aging is a slow and costly process that can be enhanced through direct infusion of wood chips. Our investigation focused on the pruning materials of two widely cultivated Lambrusco cultivars in the Modena (Italy) area, Ancellotta and Salamino. The grapevine chips underwent preliminary heat treatments at temperatures ranging from 120 °C to 260 °C. Tannic extracts were obtained by ethanol maceration at 80 °C for 2 h. The metal composition was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Generally, the metal content increased with the roasting temperature of the chips. Two exceptions were noted in the Salamino extracts, where the concentrations of Bi and Ni decreased as the roasting temperature increased. The levels of heavy metal, such as Pb and Cd, were low, posing no toxicity concerns for using infused grapevine chips during the beverage aging process. The Ni concentration slightly exceeded the limits imposed by certain regulations. Its content is likely derived from the type of soil in which the plant has grown. Full article

Kombucha is an acidic non-alcoholic fermented tea beverage that has surged in popularity over the past decade. A key driver of this popularity is the perception that kombucha contains microbes that contribute to gut health, a perception that is reinforced by package claims such as “live” and “probiotic”. We surveyed retail-available non-alcoholic (soft) and alcoholic (hard) kombucha and selected 39 products, of which 74.4% included at least one of these claims. Based upon Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) evaluation of the chemical composition, approximately one-third of soft kombucha products were re-categorized as “soft-aberrant” on the basis of their alcohol by volume (ABV) exceeding 0.5%. Across all three categories, the majority (82.1%) of products were “live”, containing culturable yeast and/or bacteria. However, there were no significant differences in median maximum colony-forming unit (CFU) counts between these categories, nor was there a difference according to package claims. Interestingly, only 6.3% of soft and 10% of soft-aberrant kombucha products exceeded ${10}^6$ CFU/mL, the threshold that would deliver at least one billion cells in one package. None of the sampled hard kombucha exceeded this threshold. Metabarcoding analyses of microbial communities revealed differences in composition between categories and according to package claims. Notably, the subset of products with “probiotic” claims that listed Bacillus coagulans as an ingredient were enriched in read counts for Bacillus. Full article

Edible flowers, including roselle, contain a varied composition of phenolic compounds that may inhibit the oxidative stress mechanism. Roselle-based tisane with appealing sensory properties is commonly consumed worldwide. However, the conventional hot-brew method may ruin the stability of thermolabile phenolic compounds during the tisane preparation. Hence, this study aimed to develop a new alternative brewing method linked with the new cold-brew method, which involves a lower temperature and applying ultrasound to maximize the extraction of phenolic compounds and to avoid degradation during the tisane preparation. The brewing factors, including particle size (10, 20, 30 mesh), temperature (4, 15, 26 °C), time (10, 20, 30 min), and ultrasound amplitude (20, 60, 100% of the maximum amplitude) have been optimized simultaneously using Box–Behnken design in conjunction with response surface methodology. Seven major phenolic compounds were identified by HPLC-DAD and classified into hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCA) and flavonoids. The optimum extraction condition to reach the highest level of the studied phenolic compounds was set to brew roselle with particle size of 30 ± 3.25 mesh at 26 ± 1.32 °C for 18 ± 2.00 min applying 78 ± 5.64% ultrasound amplitude. This method successfully extracted almost all HCA and flavonoid during the first cycle with less than 10% CV and provided higher antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH (IC₅₀ 9.77 ± 0.01 µg mL⁻¹), ABTS (IC₅₀ 8.05 ± 0.02 µg mL⁻¹), and FRAP (IC₅₀ 10.34 ± 0.03 µg mL⁻¹) than the roselle tisane prepared using the conventional method. Additionally, the resulting cold-brew product was stable for up to five days of storage. Full article

The study focused on the examination of eight commercial hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic beverage samples that were packaged in aluminum cans or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The pH value, caffeine content, and concentration of thirty elements were determined. Caffeine quantification was performed by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. Element determination was conducted by using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry. The results showed that pH values were much more acidic in all samples, ranging from 2.68 to 3.97. Caffeine concentrations ranged from 0.02–38.93 mg/100 mL between the samples and were found to be below the acceptable daily level (~400 mg) established by the relevant food regulatory authority. The measurable quantity of caffeine (~10 mg/100 mL) was found in two functional beverage samples where caffeine was labeled as an ingredient. Element concentration varied with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) among all samples. Elements such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead were measured below the corresponding permissible levels set by the European Commission; however, daily consumption of functional beverages should be examined to deteriorate several health risks. Aluminum was quantified above the parametric value by 21 to 117% in the canned samples, whereas antimony was only measured in PET-bottled samples at approximately 3 μg/L. Multivariate methods were applied to investigate any possible correlation between the samples and the examined parameters. Strong positive correlations with statistically significant differences (R > 0.9, p < 0.05) were observed between zinc and copper and between calcium and silver. Finally, similarities and differences between the samples and the examined parameters resulted in satisfactory discrimination of them regarding not only their caffeine content but also their tonicity. Excessive consumption of functional beverages could represent a major public health issue due to elevated amounts of caffeine and elements. Consequently, the results of this research could facilitate the formulation of stricter standards in beverage consumption by revealing potential health hazards to consumers. Full article

With more than 40% of produced wine crossing borders, wine represents a truly global beverage. Wine export serves as a sales lever, especially for producers where home wine consumption diminishes but the global wine business is highly competitive. The literature tells that in competitive market innovation, customer centrism, and increasing sustainability are key. Wine export offerings need to meet the customer’s desires in the targeted foreign destinations. German wine providers have to catch-up in regard to destination-specific preferences so they can offer adaptation or suffer a competitive disadvantage in sustainability positioning. The main aims of this study were to validate the importance of sustainability in wine import and to explore destination-specific preferences and potential sustainable offer designs on the basis of new, fungus-resistant grape (FRG) wines by an explorative, qualitative approach. Evaluating the key export markets for German wine, the study delved into a performance assessment on how German providers who are marked by small-scale structures and fragmentation are positioned in regard to the primary purchasing factors in global wine competition, in regard to sustainability, and how to overcome performance gaps by tailoring destination-specific export offerings. In order to close a lack of research on destination-oriented sustainable wine offer design and to provide orientation for practitioners, an empirical study tested wine export offerings in the form of four concepts with a strong emphasis on sustainability and FRGs. More than 100 wine experts in the five key countries for German wine exports served to explore country preferences for offer elements and perceived performance of German wine producers. The interviews revealed (a) that sustainability is a must for wine export sales; (b) that German wine producers limp in sustainability reputation; (c) the existence of country-specific preferences allowing exporters to tailor their offerings to the specific needs in their ambition to increase export performance; (d) that German wine producers can potentially claim sustainability on the basis of a fitting concept; (e) FRGs are potentially suited to reposition innovatively and sustainably; (f) a playful exploitation of stereotypes for German suppliers is risky; (g) that an offer concept on sustainability and “made in Germany” characteristics (design, technology, and reliability) is highly regarded potentially allowing to escape price cutting in their key export destinations. Full article

Twenty-four samples of differently produced commercial Italian cider were analyzed for their polyphenols profile and antioxidant activity. A partial least square regression was used to correlate the ciders’ antioxidant activity with their polyphenolic content. Statistical analyses revealed only a clustering pattern in the samples based on their geographical area of production (North-West, NW, vs. North-East, NE). Indeed, NW ciders, compared to NE ones, showed higher antioxidant activity and higher contents of procyanidin B1, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and total polyphenols. On the contrary, no clear-cut clustering pattern determined by cidermaking procedures (i.e., Charmat or Champenoise method) has been observed. These data suggest that the differences observed between NW and NE ciders might be accounted uniquely to the use of different apple varieties and/or the maturation status, as well as the pedoclimatic conditions of their production areas and not for cellar procedures’ specificity. Full article