Effects of dandelion addition on antioxidant property, sensory characteristics and inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase of beer

Abstract

The effects of dandelion addition (DA) on the physiochemical properties, antioxidant activity, inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase (XOD) and flavor of craft beer were investigated. It was found that DA changed the pH value, total acid content, thiobarbituric-acid-value, sugar content and color of beer, and increased the contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids and thus the antioxidant activity of beer. HPLC analysis showed that DA provided beer with chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, and chicoric acid, contributing to the inhibition activity against XOD that is a key enzyme in uric acid production. GC-MS analysis showed that 3-methyl-1-butanol, isopentyl acetate and ethyl caprylate were main aroma components of all samples. Although DA introduced the special aroma component of azulene, it did not significantly affect the appearance, bubble, aroma and taste evaluation of beer. Conclusively, DA potentially improved the beer properties of antioxidant and inhibition of uric acid production without changing its sensory characteristics.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Chicoric acid; Craft beer; Dandelion; Polyphenols; Xanthine oxidase.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

HPLC analysis of four main phenolic acid content and GC-MS analysis of aroma components in beer samples. (A). Chromatograms of chlorogenic acids, caffeic acids, ferulic acids and chicoric acids for separation. (B). Chromatograms of four phenolic acids in craft beer with 20 g/L dandelion as an example. (C). Total ions chromatogram of flavor compounds in craft beer samples by GC-MS. (D). Heat maps of the main volatile components.

Fig. 2

Inhibitory activity of xanthine oxidase in (A) beer supplemented with dandelion and (B) four phenolic acids. Data are expressed as the means ± SE (n = 3).

Fig. 3

Electronic nose and sensory analysis. (A). Radar map of electronic nose response data of beer samples from different groups. (B). Principal component analysis (PCA) diagram based on electronic nose response data. (C). Comparison of sensory characteristics of dandelion craft beer in different treatment groups. Sensory characteristics start from four aspects: appearance, bubble, aroma, taste.