Lagers are generally brewed to minimise the final sugar content. Residual saccharides, derived from starch, contribute little to sweetness. Despite this, certain lagers exhibit sweet characters. These have not been explored in lagers, but are thought to originate from: maltol; 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (HDMF); 4-hydroxy-2(or 5)-ethyl-5(or 2)-methyl-3(2H)-fura-none (HEMF); hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF); diacetyl; and certain esters (ethyl acetate, ethyl caproate, ethyl caprylate, and iso amyl acetate). This study used time-intensity (TI) profiling, employing 13 assessors, to study sweetness in 10 lagers, scored similarly for sweetness in rank rating. Single intensity maxima were obtained with all products and all assessors. Data were analysed using ANOVA of curve parameters and non-centred and centred principal component analyses (PCA). In ANOVA only the area under curve (A_(tot)) values differed significantly. However, shape of TI profile, or signature, differed between assessors who could on this basis be divided into two groups. In the multivariate data analyses, non-centred PCA showed significant differences between lagers, parametric modelling and conventional PCA did not. However TI profile data suggested sweetness intensity perceived over the 120 seconds following ingestion could differ, although differences in scoring in rank rating were not significant.
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