Evaluation of craft beers through the direct determination of amino acids by capillary electrophoresis and principal component analysis

The composition of beer wort in terms of amino acid (AA) content affects the final product quality, once it is related to the vitality of yeast during the initial exponential growth phase and throughout fermentation. The objective of this work was the use of a capillary zone electrophoresis method with UV-vis detection in association with Principal Component (Data) Analysis for craft beer classification. Cysteine, histidine, phenylalanine, lysine, tryptophan and arginine were the monitored AAs in wort and finished beer, which were extracted through cation exchange resin. Good differentiation among samples according to their production was obtained, showing a profile of AAs (6.5-55 mu g mL(-1)), which can be explained by the protein cleavage.

Automated summary

This study used capillary zone electrophoresis method with UV-vis detection in combination with Principal Component Analysis to classify craft beer, monitoring six amino acids in wort and finished beer. Differentiation among samples based on AA profiles and protein cleavage mechanism was successfully achieved.