Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 689, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 689, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
Molecules. 2023 Mar 9;28(6):2522. doi: 10.3390/molecules28062522.
Beer is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide with unique organoleptic properties. Bitterness and astringency are well-known key features and, when perceived with high intensity, could lead to beer rejection. Most studies on beer astringency and bitterness use sensory assays and fail to study the molecular events that occur inside the oral cavity responsible for those perceptions. This work focused on deepening this knowledge based on the interaction of salivary proteins (SP) and beer phenolic compounds (PCs) and their effect toward these two sensory attributes. The astringency and bitterness of four different beers were assessed by a sensory panel and were coupled to the study of the SP changes and PC profile characterization of beers. The human SP content was measured before (basal) and after each beer intake using HPLC analysis. The beers' PC content and profile were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu and LC-MS spectrometry, respectively. The results revealed a positive correlation between PCs and astringency and bitterness and a negative correlation between SP changes and these taste modalities. Overall, the results revealed that beers with higher PC content (AAL and IPA) are more astringent and bitter than beers with a lower PC content (HL and SBO). The correlation results suggested that an increase in whole SP content, under stimulation, should decrease astringency and bitterness perception. No correlation was found between the changes in specific families of SP and astringency and bitterness perception.
啤酒是全球消费最多的饮料之一，具有独特的感官特性。苦味和涩味是众所周知的关键特征，当它们的强度很高时，可能导致啤酒被拒绝。大多数关于啤酒涩味和苦味的研究使用感官分析方法，而未能研究口腔内负责这些感知的分子事件。这项工作基于唾液蛋白 (SP) 和啤酒酚类化合物 (PC) 的相互作用及其对这两种感官属性的影响，旨在深入了解这方面的知识。通过感官小组评估了四种不同啤酒的涩味和苦味，并结合研究了 SP 变化和啤酒中 PC 特性的变化。使用 HPLC 分析在每次饮用啤酒之前（基础）和之后测量了人 SP 的含量。使用 Folin-Ciocalteu 和 LC-MS 光谱法分别测定了啤酒中 PC 的含量和特性。结果表明，PC 与涩味和苦味呈正相关，而 SP 变化与这些味觉呈负相关。总的来说，结果表明，PC 含量较高的啤酒（AAL 和 IPA）比 PC 含量较低的啤酒（HL 和 SBO）更涩更苦。相关性结果表明，在刺激下，整个 SP 含量的增加应该会降低涩味和苦味的感知。在 SP 特定家族的变化与涩味和苦味感知之间没有发现相关性。
