Research reveals a key enzyme in bitter acid biosynthesis from hops, suggesting its role in beer flavor enhancement.
Beer flavors in hop glandular trichomes: In hops (Humulus lupulus L., Cannabaceae), the glandular trichomes on the female cones are highly efficient metabolic factories that produce the specialized metabolites shaping beer quality. Feng et al. identify the long-sought (6S)-α-bitter-acid synthase, a flavin-dependent monooxygenase that catalyzes the final enzymatic step in the biosynthesis of (6S)-α-bitter acids in hop glandular trichomes.
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Feng et al. (2025) studied this question.
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