Prediction of Fruity-Citrus Intensity of Beers Dry Hopped with Mandarina Bavaria Based on the Content of Selected Volatile Compounds

Mandarina Bavaria is a "Special Flavor" hop variety, described as fruity, with pronounced mandarin and citrus, combined with traditional hoppy sensations. The relationship between fruity-citrus intensity and the volatile profile of dry-hopped beers was assessed in order to predict the sensory perception of those dry-hopped beers using the content of selected volatile compounds. For this purpose, two base beers (A and B) that presented statistical differences (p < 0.05) in the composition of volatile compounds and on the sensory perception were dry hopped with 3 g/L Mandarina Bavaria hop. Twenty-four volatiles from hop were quantified during 15 days of dry hopping, while the sensory perception was followed by a certified trained panel. The sensory perception of total hoppy content (in a scale from 0 to 5) can be estimated using a PLS equation (Q² = 0.654): total hoppy = 1.8 + [myrcene (μg/L) × 7.5 × 10^-3] + [2-methylbutyl-2-methylpropanoate (μg/L) × 4.2 × 10^-3] + [linalool (μg/L) × 7.2 × 10^-3] + [α-humulene (μg/L) × 2.3 × 10^-3]). Successful models were also obtained to predict citrus (Q² = 0.745), green fruit (Q² = 0.598), and sweet fruit (Q² = 0.626) characteristics of dry-hopped beers.