Comparative investigation of volatile components and bioactive compounds in beers by multivariate analysis

The volatile components of nine commercial beers were characterized by headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Multivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the similarities and differences between the volatile components and bioactive compounds present in the target beer samples. Thirty-eight volatile compounds were identified, and their chemical categories were determined. Alcohols and esters were determined to be the predominant volatile components in samples. The differences and classifications of the beer samples were analysed through principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The analysis of the volatile compounds in beer samples revealed that the type and content of the volatiles can influence beer quality and taste. The combination of SPME-GC-MS and multivariate statistical analysis proves to be an effective approach for differentiating beer types and for allowing the quality control of beer.