In this study, the chemical and sensory profiles of 42 different nonalcoholic beer (NAB) brands/styles already on the global market and produced through several different brewing techniques were evaluated. A trained panel (i.e., 11 panelists) performed standard-driven descriptive and check-all-that-apply analyses in triplicate to sensorially characterize the aroma and taste/mouthfeel profiles of 42 commercial NABs, a commercial soda, and a commercial seltzer water ( n = 44). These beers were also chemically deconstructed using several different analytical techniques targeting volatile and nonvolatile compounds. Consumer analysis ( n = 129) was then performed to evaluate the Northern Californian consumer hedonic liking of a selection ( n = 12) of these NAB brands. These results provide direction to brewers and/or beverage producers on which techniques they should explore to develop desirable NAB offerings and suggest chemical targets that are indicators of specific flavor qualities and/or preference for American consumers.

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Pentose-hexose monoterpene alcohol glycosides were isolated and semiquantitatively measured in dried Humulus lupulus cones using UHPLC-qTOF-MS/MS and HPLC fractionation followed by GC−MS. The samples evaluated included hop cones from five important dual-purpose cultivars (varieties) in the United States, from two locations (farms) per variety and from three distinct harvest time points (maturities) per location, as dictated by dry-matter (% w/w) at the time of harvest. Hop variety accounted for the biggest variation among the concentrations of pentose-hexose monoterpene alcohol glycosides as well as other volatile and nonvolatile chemical factors measured in the samples. This indicates that genetics plays a major role in hop flavor production. Interestingly, "maturity", or ripeness at the time of harvest, was the next most significant factor impacting the concentrations of pentose-hexose monoterpene alcohol glycosides along with most of the other volatile and nonvolatile factors (such as total oil concentration and composition). However, maturity notably had a bigger impact on some cultivars such as Sabro, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra. Surprisingly, farm (i.e., location, farming practices, etc.) accounted for the least amount of variation among the concentrations of the different analytical factors. These results highlight the importance of breeding/genetics as well as considering hop maturity/ripeness at the time of harvest on the production and subsequent development of analytical chemical factors associated with driving hoppy beer flavor. It is essential for future studies assessing the impact of different farming practices and locations (i.e., regionality, terroir, etc.) on the constituents in hops important for hoppy beer flavor to consider and account for the impact of hop maturity as well as genetics.

The sensory, volatile, and physiochemical profiles of nineteen commercial non-alcoholic pilsner-style beers produced by different production techniques were analyzed and compared with a dry-hopped non-alcoholic IPA. NABs made only with either physical dealcoholization or restricted fermentations differed significantly in chemistry and flavor. Generally, NABs produced by restricted fermentations were the most worty, thick, and sweet, whereas NABs that were physically dealcoholized had the lowest taste/aroma intensities and were the sourest, most thin, and least sweet. Interestingly, the method of dealcoholization had a minor impact on the flavor profile. The use of maltose intolerant yeast as well as the implementation of combined treatments, such as blending dealcoholized beer with beer containing alcohol, were the techniques found to produce NABs with more harmonious and multifaceted chemical and flavor profiles. NABs with increased hop aroma volatiles were the most harmonious, particularly highlighted by the NA IPA reference. Even though dry-hopped character might be atypical for pilsner-style beer, dry-hopping appears as a simple application to produce NABs with more harmonious flavor.

Objective Inter-individual variation in pathways impacting cellular cholesterol metabolism can influence levels of plasma cholesterol, a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Inherent variation among immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from different donors can be leveraged to discover novel genes that modulate cellular cholesterol metabolism. The objective of this study was to identify novel genes that regulate cholesterol metabolism by testing for evidence of correlated gene expression with cellular levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) mRNA, a marker for cellular cholesterol homeostasis, in a large panel of LCLs. Approach and Results Expression array profiling was performed on 480 LCLs established from participants of the Cholesterol and Pharmacogenetics statin clinical trial, and transcripts were tested for evidence of correlated expression with HMGCR as a marker of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis. Of these, transmembrane protein 55b (TMEM55B) showed the strongest correlation (r=0.29, p=4.0E-08) of all genes not previously implicated in cholesterol metabolism and was found to be sterol regulated. TMEM55B knock-down in human hepatoma cell lines promoted the decay rate of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), reduced cell surface LDLR protein, impaired LDL uptake, and reduced intracellular cholesterol. Conclusions Here we report identification of TMEM55B as a novel regulator of cellular cholesterol metabolism through the combination of gene expression profiling and functional studies. The findings highlight the value of an integrated genomic approach for identifying genes that influence cholesterol homeostasis.