The Influence of\nBarley Proteome on Hop Bitter Acid\nYield during Brewing

A persistent challenge\nin brewing is the efficient utilization\nof hop bitter acids, with about 50% of these compounds precipitating\nwith trub during wort boiling. This study aims to uncover the correlation\nbetween the barley cultivar proteome and hop bitter acid utilization\nduring wort boiling. Therefore, comparative experiments were conducted\nusing two cultivars, Liga and Solist, with varying proteomes to identify\nspecific proteins’ role in hop bitter acids precipitation.\nHigh-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure\nhop bitter acid content, while liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry\n(LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify and identify proteins. The 107 protein\ngroups, particularly enzymes linked to barley metabolic defense mechanisms,\nexhibited significant differences between the two cultivars. Results\nrevealed significantly lower α- and <i>iso</i>-α-acid\ncontent in wort produced from the barley cultivar Liga. This study\nhighlights the critical role of the barley proteome in optimizing\nprocess efficiency by enhancing hop utilization through barley cultivar\nselection.