Presence of Disulfide-Bonded Thiols in Malt and Hops as the Precursors of Thiols in Beer

Disulfide-bonded thiols in malt and hops were first identified as possible precursors of thiols in beer. The presence of disulfide-bonded 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) was confirmed in malt and hops by observing an 8.9-9.9 times increase in the 3MH concentration in hopped water and unhopped wort after the reduction using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP), a reducing agent specific for disulfide bonds. The presence of disulfide-bonded 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (4MMP) was confirmed in hops by observing 2.1 and 5.1 times increase in the 4MMP concentration after reduction in hopped water. Proteins, peptides, and amino acids having sulfhydryl groups or other thiol substances were assumed to form disulfide bonds with polyfunctional thiols in malt and hops. The release of thiols by the reduction of disulfide-bonded thiols during fermentation was first identified. A 65-82% of disulfide-bonded 3MH were reduced during fermentation, and as a result, concentrations of 3MH in hopped water and unhopped wort increased by 9.5-14.2 times during fermentation.