In situ Creation of the Natural Phenolic Aromas of Beer: A Pulsed Electric Field Applied to Wort-Enriched Flax Seeds

To fine tune the production of phenolic aromas in beer, a pulsed electric field (PEF) was applied to beer wort, which was enriched with flax seeds. The choice of flax seeds as a source of FA is based on its high content of ferulic precursors and their intrinsic nutritional value. PEF was applied to ground flax seeds, with and without beta glycosidase. Fermentation was carried out with Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeast strains. Moreover, 4-vinylguaiacol (4-VG), a flavor highly active derived from volatile phenol, was produced by decarboxylation of ferulic acid (FA), or its precursor and flavor-inactive (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid). All yeast strains could metabolize FA into 4-VG, using the pure compound in the synthetic medium or in flax seeds, with the best quantity produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a precursor. The method yields 4-VG production efficiencies up to 120% (mgL−1). Experimental treatment conditions were conducted with E= 1 kV/cm, total time treatment 15 min (peak time ti = 1 μs, pause time tp = 1 ms, Total pulses 9003). Treatment efficacy is independent of the fermentation yeast.