MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR PREDICTION OF ALPHA ACID CONTENTS FROM METEOROLOGICAL DATA FOR 'SAAZ' AROMA VARIETY

Climate-induced decline in the quality and quantity of European hops calls for immediate adaptation measures

A recent rise in the global brewery sector has increased the demand for high-quality, late summer hops. The effects of ongoing and predicted climate change on the yield and aroma of hops, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we combine meteorological measurements and model projections to assess the climate sensitivity of the yield, alpha content and cone development of European hops between 1970 and 2050 CE, when temperature increases by 1.4 °C and precipitation decreases by 24 mm. Accounting for almost 90% of all hop-growing regions, our results from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia show that hop ripening started approximately 20 days earlier, production declined by almost 0.2 t/ha/year, and the alpha content decreased by circa 0.6% when comparing data before and after 1994 CE. A predicted decline in hop yield and alpha content of 4-18% and 20-31% by 2050 CE, respectively, calls for immediate adaptation measures to stabilize an ever-growing global sector.

Changes in chemical profile of Cascade hop cones according to the growing area

BACKGROUND

The growing area has a substantial effect on plants, affecting secondary metabolism. For hops, different authors have studied the effect of growing area on the chemical composition of cones with the aim of verifying and understanding the changes in hop characters. Despite the scant literature the subject receives increasing attention by brewers and hop growers. The present study aimed to characterize, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), cones of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cultivar Cascade. Plant material was obtained from nine different areas of Italy and compared with Cascade samples grown in the United States, Germany and Slovenia.

RESULTS

Differences in bitter acids and xanthohumol content were observed. Nevertheless, no correlation between bitter acids and xanthohumol production, on the one hand, and rainfall, temperatures and latitude, on the other hand, were observed in our samples. The Slovenia samples were richer in molecules that confer hoppy, woody and flower notes; USA2 samples were more characterized by woody, earthy, grassy and floral aroma, quite different characters if compared to USA1, which had the lowest presence of grassy aromatic compounds. In the Italian samples, TRENTINO was the genotype most characterized by limonene presence.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study are indicative of the importance for hop users to know and characterize hops coming from different growing regions. The study pays special attention to the characterization of the differences in chemical characters of Cascade hop in Italy, where hop cultivation has developed only recently, but is in continuous expansion. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Empiric mathematical model for predicting the content of alpha-acids in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cv. Aurora

The aim of this research is to find a simple mathematical model due to sum of effective temperatures and rainfalls from second germination after spring pruning till the technological maturity of hop cones, in order to achieve reliable prognosis of alpha-acids content in hop cv. Aurora. After mathematical analyses of experimental data by Eurequa Formulize 0.96 Beta software 17 equations were offered, and after substituting the values of dependent and independent variables in all equations only one equation was chosen with p = 0.034 (p<0.05). This equation is not reliable in extremely drought year if crop evapotranspiration ET0 in July is higher than 4.5, primarily because of negative influence on formation and development of hop glandular trichomes. Considering achieved results it is possible to suggest following general equation for alpha-acids accumulation in hop: y = [(k 1 w) - k 2 - (k 3 w (2))/x] ÷ (-10) ↔ ET 0 July  ≤ 4.5. Where y is alpha acids content in dry matter (%), x = sum of effective temperatures and w = sum of rainfals, both from second germination after spring pruning till technological maturity of hop cones. Coefficients k 1 , k 2 and k 3 are determined for cultivar Aurora (53.8, 453 and 1.33, respectively).