The compounds that make a lager pleasing—or not—can be tricky to pick out. A new study using taste tests and an analysis of volatile and nonvolatile chemicals in beer finds that four molecules that are imperceptible when added to water could still affect the taste of beer, making a palatable lager less tasty to consumers (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2026, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c16579).
Food scientist Devin Peterson of the Ohio State University and his colleagues wanted to figure out which molecules make for the most enjoyable beer. They used a flavoromics approach. “It’s about using chemical-profiling methodologies to help us define and understand the complexities of flavor perception,” Peterson says.
The researchers purchased 18 lagers and asked 134 beer drinkers to rate how much they liked or disliked them. Then they studied volatile compounds, which contribute to beer’s aroma, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. And using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, they also studied the compounds that contribute to taste and mouth sensations of the beer. Computer analysis then linked participants’ experience of the lagers with compounds in them.
Working with the data from those who liked more flavor-forward beers, the team found that molecules that contribute to flavor affected preferences more than ones that contributed to aroma. Further, chemicals that drinkers disliked seemed to have more impact on subjects’ beer preferences than chemicals related to enjoyment. “So if I really want to improve product quality, removing negatives is probably a core criteria,” Peterson says.
Four nonvolatile compounds often showed up in beers that got lower ratings: feruloyl-3-hydroxagmatine, 2’-deoxyadenosine, p-coumaroyl-3-hydroxyagmatine, and N1,N10-diferuloylspermidine. Surprisingly, people didn’t perceive these compounds when they drank water spiked with them. But when added to the most-liked beer, testers said the beverage was more bitter and irritating, as well as sharper than the unaltered version. The four compounds are related to molecules that defend plants against insects, Peterson says.
