Determination of beer aroma compounds using headspace solid-phase microcolumn extraction.

A rapid sampling technique for the analysis of beer aroma compounds is described. The headspace (10 ml) is passed through the microcolumn filled with 5mg of Tenax TA and thermally desorbed in a modified GC inlet (modification is described). Eight compounds (from acetaldehyde to 2-phenylethanol) in four beer samples were analyzed. The correlation coefficients (r(2)), repeatability (RSD) and limits of detection (LOD) were 0.9973-0.9994, 2.1-6.9% and 0.00002-0.13 mg/l, respectively. The methodology can be useful for routine beer sample analysis.