Voltammetric Detection of Chlorophenols in Brewing Water and Beer Using Different Carbonaceous Composite Electrodes

Nowadays, there is still no portable electroanalytical device suitable for the monitoring concentration of chlorophenols in technologically used water, especially in the brewing industry. This problem could be solved by developing an electroanalytical screening method based on chlorophenol anodic oxidation.

The electrochemical behaviour of the target chlorophenols was investigated to find the optimum working conditions for their selective electrochemical detection in beer.

Electrochemical oxidation pathways were proposed for each investigated chlorophenol. The sum of all chlorophenols present in the brewing water, expressed as the concentration equivalent of 2,6-dichlorophenol, can be determined electrochemically, so that in future real-time monitoring of chlorophenols in the individual stages of the beer production process will be possible. Moreover, the cathodic reduction of their oxidation products proved to be a suitable electroanalytical tool for the selective detection of their presence in beer.

The research shows that an electroanalytical approach could be useful in the control of beer biotechnology to prevent sensory changes caused by the chlorophenols formed.