Role of strecker aldehydes on beer flavour stability

In this work, attempts were made in order to measure the importance of Strecker aldehydes on flavour stability of beer by correlating chemical and sensory data. Methional and phenylacetaldehyde accumulated during storage were correlated with the aroma quality. A 'fresh beer' was spiked with methional, phenylacetaldehyde and also with (E)-2-nonenal, alone or in combination with these Strecker aldehydes. The degree of similarity was then determined between these samples and an aged beer. The highest similarity value was 7.2 when the three compounds were added simultaneously and the combination of the two Strecker aldehydes gave a degree of similarity of 5.4.