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In 2015, Italian Grape Ale (IGA) beers have been included as a new provisional sub-category of special-type fruit beers by the Beer Judge Certification Program, including those products whose brewing process is carried out in presence of determined quantities of grape must. However, information on the effects of these additions on the composition of final beers are still scarce. This work is hence focused on the chromatic, volatile, phenolic and sensory characterization of IGA beers obtained with the addition of grape musts during brewing process. To this aim, different amounts of must (5, 10 and 20%) from cv. Lambrusco red grapes were added to a lager wort before primary fermentation. Beers were then characterized by HPLC-MS, GC-MS and sensory analysis in order to determine phenolic and aroma compounds along with their sensory attributes. Results confirmed the addition of must from cv. Lambrusco grapes capable to enrich beers in color, acids, phenolic (up to 7-folded increased) and volatile compounds, while giving complexity to beers. These results, which were confirmed by a trained sensory panel, are among the very first insights on the impact of red grape must in brewing, both from a compositional and sensory point of view.

Background: While there has been an increasing interest in the health properties of chocolate, limited research has looked into the changes of antioxidants occurring in the time span from production to the best before date, which was a period of 18 months in this study. Methods: Humidity, ash, pH, acidity, fiber, carotenoids, retinols, tocopherols, sugars, proteins, theobromine, caffeine, polyphenols, fats, the peroxide value, organic acids, and volatile compounds, along with the sensory profile, were monitored at 18-week intervals for 18 months under conditions simulating a factory warehouse or a point of sale. Results: At the end of the storage period, more polyphenols were lost (64% and 87%) than vitamin E (5% and 14%) in cocoa mass and cocoa powder, respectively. Conversely, a greater loss in vitamin E (34% and 86%) than in polyphenols (19% and 47%) was shown in the hazelnut paste and gianduja chocolate, respectively. The sensory profiling of cocoa mass, cocoa powder, and hazelnut paste revealed increases in grittiness and astringency, as well as decreases in melting, bitterness, and toasted aroma. Moreover, in the hazelnut paste and gianduja chocolate, oiliness increased with a toasted and caramel aroma. Furthermore, dark chocolate was more gritty, acidic, and bitter. Milk chocolate lost its nutty aroma but maintained its sweetness and creaminess. Conclusions: These results should contribute an important reference for companies and consumers, in order to preserve the antioxidants and understand how antioxidants and sensory properties change from the date of production until the best before date.