Effect of UV‐C Disinfection of Beer — Sensory Analyses and Consumer Ranking

Ultraviolet (UV‐C) light irradiation is gaining rapid acceptance within the food and beverage industry as a non‐thermal disinfection technique. A series of trials, using a pilot scale UV‐C treatment system, were conducted to investigate the effect of UV‐C on beer with specific attention to lightstruck flavour formation. Both commercial and micro‐brewed beers were treated with UV‐C light at 254 nm. Samples were analysed by consumer and trained panels. Sensory analyses revealed that at a low UV‐C level, lightstruck flavour was apparent and this increasingly gave way to a more intense burnt rubber off‐flavour as the UV‐C exposure was increased. A sample enrichment probe technique coupled with a gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (SEP/GCMS) revealed the presence of lightstruck flavour in all the treated beers.