New analytical tech can help improve what popular beverage?

One of the things that makes hoppy beer so attractive is their fruity aromas, caused by compounds in the drink called “thiols.” Detecting and measuring these thiols is one thing that can help brewers make a beer better; unfortunately, though, since thiol levels in beer are low, traditional processes to analyze them are difficult and not always accurate.

So, a group of scientists from Germany's Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Analysis set to work developing a new method of measuring thiols that is easier and highly accurate. Using a high-tech analytical process called “tandem mass spectrometry,” the team was able to easily and accurately analyze aerosolized thiols from beer by converting them into compounds with a significantly higher “analytical sensitivity.”

In a test of 13 beers from multiple countries, the researchers found that their new method was just as accurate as current methods, but it was much faster.