Biomodulation of Physicochemical Parameters, Aromas, and Sensory Profile of Craft Beers by Using Non-Saccharomyces...

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the metabolism of yeasts and made from water, malt, and hops. In recent years, the interest in craft beers has increased considerably due to the demand for new beverages and the consumer's willingness to pay higher prices. This article explores the sensorial changes produced in craft beers by using different Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts with several instrumental and sensory analyses performed. After a primary fermentation process with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Lachancea thermotolerans, it was observed that green beer brewed with L. thermotolerans had a lower pH (3.41) due to the significant production of l-lactic acid (3.98 g/L) compared to that brewed with S. cerevisiae. Following, the bottle conditioning was carried out with a culture of S. cerevisiae, L. thermotolerans, Hanseniaspora vineae, or Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Of note is the increased production of aromatic esters, including 2-phenylethyl acetate in the H. vineae conditioning, which is associated with a high aromatic quality, as well as ethyl lactate in all samples, whose main fermentation was carried out with L. thermotolerans. Although this research is at an early stage, future complementary studies may shed more light on this topic.