Chemometric studies of hops degradation at different storage forms using UV-Vis, NIRS and UPLC analyses

Abstract

Abstract Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) are one of the vital raw materials of brewing and their form of storage directly influences the final organoleptic sensations of beers. When hops are incorrectly stored, the degradation of important bitter compounds occurs fast. In the present work, it was used the ultraviolet/visible and near infrared regions, maximized by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (UPLC) analyses, to identify the best way to store hops, by varying the (i) storage temperature, (ii) contact with atmospheric air, and (iii) storage time. For that, three different varieties of commercial hops were stored for six months (Hersbrucker, Magnum and Zeus). The chemometric results obtained with the Ultraviolet/ Visible (UV-Vis) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) data demonstrated the hop degradation kinetics under different storage conditions, while the chromatographic results provided the quantification of this degradation. Together, the results indicated that hops stored at low temperatures (≤ -10 °C) under a vacuum plastic bag presented the lower α - acids degradation rates over the months of the study.