Effect of "Late Harvest" of Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) on the Contents of Volatile Thiols in Furano Beauty, Furano Magical, and Cascade Varieties

J Agric Food Chem. 2022 Jan 19;70(2):607-614. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c08210. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

Abstract

In recent years, many hop varieties with unique aromas, so-called "flavor hops", have been bred and grown. Here, we investigated the effect of late-harvested hops using three flavor hop varieties; Furano Beauty, Furano Magical, and Cascade. The sample hops were harvested at different days after flowering (DAF): DAF 45 (normal harvest), DAF 65, DAF 75, and DAF 85. We measured the volatile thiols in sample cones. The results indicated that 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentane-2-one contents showed almost no change or a slightly decrease with a delay in harvest, whereas 3-sulfanyl-4-methylpentan-1-ol (3S4MP) content in late-harvested samples increased several fold in comparison with normal-harvested samples. Additionally, 3S4MP contents in the beers brewed with DAF 65 samples were several times higher than those using DAF 45 ones. From these results, we propose a new method to control 3S4MP content in hop cones by changing its harvest date.

Keywords: 3-sulfanyl-4-methylpentan-1-ol; 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentane-2-one; GC−MS/MS; beer; hops; late-harvest; varietal aroma; volatile thiol.

MeSH terms

  • Beer / analysis
  • Flavoring Agents
  • Humulus*
  • Odorants / analysis
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds / analysis

Substances

  • Flavoring Agents
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds