Kvasny Prum. 1978; 24(3): 54-58 | DOI: 10.18832/kp1978009

To the determination of higher alcohols in beer.Peer-reviewed article

J. VOBORSKÝ, M. KAHLER

Two colorimetric determination methods are compared with a chromatographic one. Colorimetric methods fail to provide a full information about the contents of higher alcohols present in beer, since colour reaction reveal only the following compounds: 2-methylpropanol-1, 3-methylbutanol-1, 2-methylbutanol-1 and partly also butanol. Other alcohols, important for the sensoric point of view do not react with PDMABA. The De Clerck method is better than the Pfenninger one, since its results differ only slightly from the total amount of the mentioned alcohols determined by means of gas chromatography. The Pfenninger method gives for higher alcohols figures of results by up to 20 % lower. Technique based on the Pfenninger method cannot be recommended for the determination of esters, since it provides data frequently exceeding actual shares of esters up to four times. The de Clerck method may be recommended for a quick and orientative determination of higher alcohols.
(In Czech, English summary only)

Keywords: beer, higher alocohols, determination

Published: March 1, 1978