Volatile and Nonvolatile Contributors to Lager Beer Acceptability in High-Flavor-Liking Consumers

Untargeted flavoromics and complementary analytical techniques were integrated to identify chemical drivers of consumer liking among individuals who prefer high-flavor-intensity lager beers. Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling enabled global characterization of volatile and nonvolatile constituents across samples, which were modeled against flavor-liking scores using multivariate analysis. Odorants detected by gas chromatography-olfactometry were further characterized by targeted tandem mass spectrometry and incorporated into the chemometric framework. Compounds exhibiting the highest predictive scores were identified, revealing 11 positively and four negatively correlated with flavor liking. Sensory recombination experiments confirmed that these compounds significantly influenced flavor perception and overall liking, validating their contribution to consumer preference. Notably, four nonvolatile compounds (feruloyl 3-hydroxagmatine, 2'-deoxyadenosine, p-coumaroyl 3-hydroxyagmatine, and N¹,N¹⁰-diferuloylspermidine) were not perceived in water by a sensory panel, yet influenced flavor perception and disliking in the beer sample. These findings advance the molecular understanding of flavor liking in beer.