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The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be a challenging period for many students. This period is associated with an increase in alcohol consumption (AC) which can develop a drinking behavior or shape the preferences for certain alcoholic beverages. The purpose of this study was to analyze the AC pattern among Romanian university students, by investigating the association between taste and consumption, including preferences for special beer. A 30-item omnibus-type questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate students and used to gather sociodemographic data, alcohol expectancies, drinking motives and consequences, and special beer consumption. Results showed a statistically significant relationship between the age of first alcohol use and the existence of an alcoholic family member. The main reasons for AC are taste, sensation, relaxation, and socialization. Both female and male students tend to drink occasionally, with a preference for public places. Female students prefer a sweet taste, choosing special beers over the regular ones. The students' residence may also influence the choice of special beers. Understanding the students' drinking behavior and taste preferences is essential to create useful strategies to discourage excessive AC. Special beer, a growing segment in the beverage industry, could represent a healthier and safety alternative to AC.

The presence of physical, chemical, or microbiological contaminants in beer represents a broad and worthy problem with potential implications for human health. The expansion of beer types makes it more and more appreciated for the sensorial properties and health benefits of fermentation and functional ingredients, leading to significant consumed quantities. Contaminant sources are the raw materials, risks that may occur in the production processes (poor sanitation, incorrect pasteurisation), the factory environment (air pollution), or inadequate (ethanol) consumption. We evaluated the presence of these contaminants in different beer types. This review covers publications that discuss the presence of bacteria (Lactobacillus, Pediococcus), yeasts (Saccharomyces, Candida), moulds (Fusarium, Aspergillus), mycotoxins, heavy metals, biogenic amines, and micro- and nano-plastic in beer products, ending with a discussion regarding the identified gaps in current risk reduction or elimination strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Oxygen is contributing to the deterioration of the beer and shortening the shelf‐life of the packaged product. The effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) on oxidative and structural characteristics of protein in beer during forced ageing was examined. Results showed that increased DO decreased obviously protein content in beer, and further reduced antioxidant activities of beer and lipid transfer protein 1 (LTP1). Meanwhile, the increase of DO decreased significantly the free thiol groups content and enhanced the disulfide bonds level in beer and LTP1. Results from circular dichroism, surface hydrophobicity and zeta‐potential illustrated that the increase of DO dramatically changed the secondary and tertiary structure of LTP1 with the decrease in the surface hydrophobicity, α‐helix and β‐turn contents, and the increase in the random coil and negative zeta potential. These results indicated that increased DO could damage the structure of LTP1 and had a negative impact on oxidative stability of beer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' demand for functional fermented food that can fulfill nutritional needs and help maintain a balanced diet while also having a positive impact on one's health status is increasing all over the world. Thus, healthy choices could include beverages with nutrients and bioactive compounds which can be used as an effective disease-prevention strategy. Regular beer has certain health benefits which inspire further research with the prospect of obtaining special functional beers with little or no alcohol content. As observed, the special beer market remains highly dynamic and is predicted to expand even further. Therefore, brewers need to keep up with the consumers' interests and needs while designing special beers, namely nonalcoholic beers (NABs), low-alcohol beers (LABs), and craft beers (CBs). Thus, understanding the potential uses of bioactive compounds in special beer, the wide range of therapeutic effects, and the possible mechanisms of action is essential for developing healthier beverages. This review aimed to evaluate the nutritional features of special beers, and their proven or potential beneficial actions on one's health status and in preventing certain diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and the third most popular beverage after water and tea. Emerging health-oriented lifestyle trends, demographics, stricter legislation, religious prohibitions, and consumers' preferences have led to a strong and steady growth of interest for non-alcoholic beers (NABs), low-alcohol beers (LABs), as well for craft beers (CBs). Conventional beer, as the worlds most consumed alcoholic beverage, recently gained more recognition also due to its potential functionality associated with the high content of phenolic antioxidants and low ethanol content. The increasing attention of consumers to health-issues linked to alcohol abuse urges breweries to expand the assortment of conventional beers through novel drinks concepts. The production of these beers employs several techniques that vary in performance, efficiency, and usability. Involved production technologies have been reviewed and evaluated in this paper in terms of efficiency and production costs, given the possibility that craft brewers might want to adapt them and finally introduce novel non-alcoholic drinks in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]