Metabolomic profiling of beer reveals effect of temperature on non-volatile small molecules during short-term storage

The effect of temperature on non-volatile compounds in beer has not been well characterised during storage. Here, a metabolomics approach was applied to characterise the effect of storage temperature on non-volatile metabolite variation after 16 weeks of storage, using fresh beer as a control. The metabolite profile of room temperature stored (RT) and cold temperature stored (CT) beer differed significantly from fresh, with the most substantial variation observed between RT and fresh beer. Metabolites that changed during storage included prenylated flavonoids, purines, and peptides, and all showed reduced quantitative variation under the CT storage conditions. Corresponding sensory panel observations indicated significant beer oxidation after 12 and 16 weeks of storage, with higher values reported for RT samples. These data support that temperature affected beer oxidation during short-term storage, and reveal 5-methylthioadenosine (5-MTA) as a candidate non-volatile metabolite marker for beer oxidation and staling.