Simulation of Pilsner-type beer aroma using 76 odor-active compounds

Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) analyses of the aroma components extracted from Pilsner-type beer were performed. The concentrations of all 76 components, that were identified after the GC-O analyses, were accurately quantitated. The aroma compounds were then used in the following aroma simulation experiments, with ethanol and water as matrices. The odorants with higher odor intensity in GC-O analysis and odor activity values (OAVs) were selected first, and the selected 25 odorants were used in an aroma simulation experiment. The results of sensory analysis showed that the simulation model using 25 odorants exhibited unbalanced characteristics and lacked the malty/cereal, estery characteristics, the total amount of aroma, and the similarity compared to the reference Pilsner-type beer. Addition of the 24 odorants, which were identified through the fractionations of whole aroma extract of beer and expected to complement the malty/cereal characteristic, could not improve the aroma quality of the simulation model. The aroma simulation experiments using 76 odorants indicated that the synergistic contributions of the multiple odorants, with no independent contribution to the overall characteristics (including sub-threshold components) and with no reminiscence of beer aroma, were necessary for the construction of beer aroma.