Alcoholic Beverages Virtual Seminar - Beer and Cider

Agilent and GERSTEL are happy to host this 4-day live virtual seminar discussing how you can assure safety, authenticity, and quality of alcoholic beverages. The focus will be on sharing the latest in technology developments and capabilities, new applications, and customer stories. Topics include spirits, wine, beer, and cider. There is something for everyone in this seminar series and we are glad to see you here.

Presentation 1: Undergraduate Research in the Fermentation Science of Aroma Using HS-SPME-GC-MS

• Presenter: Dr. Callie Cole (Associate Professor of Chemistry, Fort Lewis College)

Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) Analysis has been previously employed as an efficient and robust method for the detection of trace analytes in a wide variety of foods and beverages. However, the many variables that influence the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by hopped cider and beer remain to be studied in detail. Undergraduate research students at Fort Lewis College have collaborated with local cideries and breweries in Montezuma County and La Plata County Colorado to prepare hopped ciders and beers controlling for important fermentation variables to better understand their impact on final beverage quality.

Key Learning Objectives/What attendees will learn:

• An instrumental analysis project that is manageable in an undergraduate research laboratory
• What VOCs are produced by hopped beverages and how to measure them by HC-SPME-GC-MS
• Practical take-aways for hopped beer and cider producers to improve aroma quality

Who Should Attend:

Those interested in undergraduate research and hopped beverage analysis

Presentation 2: Evaluating New England IPAs using TF-SPME-GC-MS

• Presenter: Scott Frost (Postdoctoral Fellow, Tufts University)

New England IPAs are one of the most popular styles of craft beers. This hop-centric beer is commonly brewed with a large quantity of Citra and/or Mosaic hops, which produces the characteristic tropical and citrus fruit aromas. Thin film-solid phase microextraction (TF-SPME) in conjunction with gas chromatography mass spectrometry is an excellent tool to evaluate the volatile profile of this unique beer style.

Key Learning Objectives/What attendees will learn:

• Application of TF-SPME for beer analysis.
• Evaluation of: PDMS-twister; TF-SPMS DVB/PDMS; PDMS-twister + TF-SPMS DVB/PDMS

Who Should Attend:

Beer professionals, beer chemists, anyone who like GC/MS and beer

Presenter: Callie Cole, PhD (Assistant Professor, Fort Lewis College)

Dr. Cole is an assistant professor of Chemistry at Fort Lewis College: a small, rural, primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) in Durango, CO. She joined the college in 2015 and teaches undergraduate courses in first year programs, general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, and senior research. In spring 2015, Dr. Cole received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was recently honored to receive the 2019-2020 American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Research at PUIs Award from Agilent Technologies as well as the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Analytical Research Program (UARP) Award from the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburg (SACP) to support her and her undergraduate student’s research at Fort Lewis College. Dr. Cole's research centers around mass spectrometry and includes the analysis of volatile compounds responsible for the aroma and taste of locally-produced ciders, the quantification of metals in environmental samples (soil and plant), as well as the reactivity and fragmentation of astrophysically-relevant ions.

Dr. Cole's work has recently been published in Beverages, The Astrophysical Journal, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and the Journal of Physical Chemistry A. Her recent conference presentations include the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Chicago, IL (2020), the American Society for Mass Spectrometry National Meeting, Atlanta, GA (2019), the American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana (2018), the Geological Society of America National Meeting, Denver, CO (2016), and the Astrochemistry of Dust, Ice, and Gas Faraday Discussion, Leiden, The Netherlands (2014).

Presenter: Scott Frost (Postdoctoral Fellow, Tufts University

Scott Frost is a sensory scientist and flavor chemist with Tufts University. His research explores how production practices influence consumer choice. After receiving his Master of Science from UC Davis, Scott ran a winery lab in California. This experience sparked his desire to understand how wine production can influence flavor chemistry. Since completing his Ph.D. he has worked on various food and beverages including wine, coffee, cheese, and beer.