OCUS
on the latest news
and research developments from the current peer-reviewed
literature.
What
the Journals Say:
This section of the web site will provide
a brief review of papers that should be of interest to
brewers, enologists, viticulturists, distillers and
readers interested in alcoholic beverages in general. By
necessity, as peer reviewed articles, these papers may
be a bit more technical in nature but will provide news
at the forefront of the respective fields.
December 2006
- We are still monitoring and updating our data base
from many of the World's Leading Journals. Just do
not have time to read them all - call if there are any
topics you might need to know the latest developments in
and we will find a paper or two for you.
New October 2006:
We had a
sneak preview of a major new paper (in Press in Food
Chemistry 2006). The paper:
"Aging
characteristics of different beer types",
by Bart
Vanderhaegen and his group from Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven, Belgium provides an extensive
review of the types of reactions and the types or
compounds formed during the aging of 8 commercial beers
representing different styles. For those
interested in this topic this will be a paper worth
seeking out. Call us for further publication
details.
New:January 2006:
Beer – finally reduced
to its root principles?
A new paper provides
some fascinating insights into beer flavor and, for the
first time, proposes that overall beer aroma can be
imitated by combining just 22 reference odorants.
The flavor components in the aroma-mix
include common and well known flavors and some
previously unidentified odorants.
Up until now (unlike
for wine, spirits and fruit flavored beverages) no one
had made a simple “cocktail” of constituent components
that could be perceived as being “beer”. This is thus a
big step forward in looking at beer flavor chemistry.
Finally, there is
particularly cogent discussion on hop components and
beer flavor for those interested in very hoppy beers.
The paper:
“Identification Based on Quantitative Measurements and
Aroma Recombination of the Character Impact Odorants in
a Bavarian Pilsner-type Beer” by Helge T. Fritsch and
Peter Schieberle was published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Vol. 53, pages
7544-7551 in 2005).
It’s the bubbles . .
.
. .
.
“The Physics and Chemistry behind the Bubbling
Properties of Champagne and Sparkling Wines: A
State-of-the-Art Review”. Liger-Belair, G. Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2005), 53,
2788-2802.
•
Before your
next uncorking of the bottle take a peek at this article
(quite technical and mathematical – so read it before
you drink the Champagne!) that covers the effervescent
properties of sparkling wines. Will also be of interest
to brewers dealing with carbonation of their own
beverages. Neat pictures and illustrations of the bubble
and foam properties of such beverages. For those
interested in a less technical (and more colorful)
approach to the topic see the Scientific American
article, “The Science of Bubbly” by the same author.
[January 2003 issue, pages 81-85.]
Oh no…not the
light!...... “Photooxidative Degradation
of Beer Bittering Principles: A Key Step on the Route to
Lightstruck Flavor Formation in Beer”. Huvaere, K.;
Andersen, M. L.; Skibsted, L. H.; Heyerick, A.; De
Keukeleire, D. Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry (2005), 53, 1489-1494.
• One of a
series of recent papers unraveling the chemical secrets
of skunky (sorry, Lightstruck) beer. A paper of interest
to those producing highly hopped beers and
marketing their product in clear glass and to anyone
interested in shelf-life issues in general.
Why am I so unstable?....
“The Chemistry of Beer
Instability”. Stewart, G. G. Journal of Chemical
Education (2004) 81 (No.7), 963-968.
• A nice
short review of physical, flavor and foam stability
together with gushing issues in beer.
007! James Bond’s Martini – Shaken not stirred….
“The Dry Martini:
Chemistry, History, and Assorted Lore”. Kauffman, G. B.
Chemical Educator (2001) 6, 295-305.
• A
fascinating collection of anecdotes, comments, quotes,
jokes and much more regarding America’s favorite
aperitif. Covers the history of gin, the martini and the
science, medical benefits and the (bio) chemistry of
consuming martinis.
Walnuts keep falling on
my head! … What to do with all those summer walnuts?
“Influence of processing variables on some
characteristics of nocino liqueur”. Alamprese, C.;
Pompei, C. Food Chemistry (2005) 92,
203-209.
• Details the
production of Nocino an after-dinner liqueur of Celtic
origin, appreciated in Italy and made from walnuts.
Perhaps of interest to the artisanal distiller. The
production of this liqueur is also steeped in ancient
superstitions and legend.
Let's sniff it
out....
"Electronic noses in the quality
control of alcoholic beverages". Marti, M. P.; Boque,
R.; Busto, O.; Guasch, J. Trends in Analytical
Chemistry (2005) 24, 57-66
An up to date review of electronic noses and the
increasingly popular topic of flavor evaluation by means
of gas sensors and mass spectrometry. This will be an
important method in beverage authenticity determination
by differentiating based on complete volatile
compositions.
Back up and visit our "Books"
page for some neat books covering topics on wine, beer,
distilled beverages and more.
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