The Biochemistry of Maturation

Negative and positive aspects of maturation are respectively related to aroma and taste modifications. Vicinal diketones, hydrogen sulphide, acetyldehyde being primarily responsible for ‘green’ beer flavours an important feature of maturation is the adjustment of their concentration during the lagering period. The role of secondary fermentation in the removal of these undesirable by-products and the importance of sulphury compounds in determining the typical character of lager beer are reviewed. Particular emphasis is placed upon new enzymatic and genetic approaches to overcome vicinal diketone problems in accelerated fermentation systems using free and immobilized cells. The presence in beer of amino acids, peptides, nucleotides and organic as well as inorganic phosphates is, in part, due to the secretion of these materials by the yeast during lagering. Most of these compounds are contained in internal pools and their actual participation in flavour maturation depends upon intracellular breakdown and accumulation, changes in cell permeability and subsequent exchange possibilities between the yeast cell and the surrounding beer. Participation and practical implications of medium chain length fatty acids in the development of autolytic and yeasty flavours are discussed.