The iso-α-acids or isohumulones are the major contributors to the bitter taste of beer, and it is well-recognized that they are degraded during beer aging. In particular, the trans-isohumulones seem to be less stable than the cis-isohumulones. The major radical identified in beer is the 1-hydroxyethyl radical; however, the reactivity between this radical and the isohumulones has not been reported until now. Therefore, we studied the reactivity of isohumulones toward the 1-hydroxyethyl radical through a competitive kinetic approach. It was observed that both cis- and trans-isohumulones and dihydroisohumulones are decomposed in the presence of 1-hydroxyethyl radicals, while the reactivities are comparable. On the other hand, the tetrahydroisohumulones did not react with 1-hydroxyethyl radicals. The apparent second-order rate constants for the reactions between the 1-hydroxyethyl radical and these compounds were determined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry [ESI(+)-MS/MS]. It follows that degradation of beer bitter acids is highly influenced by the presence of 1-hydroxyethyl radicals. The reaction products were detected by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS), and the formation of oxidized derivatives of the isohumulones was confirmed. These data help to understand the mechanism of beer degradation upon aging.

Ion-mobility mass spectrometry is utilized to examine the metacluster formation of serine, asparagine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. These amino acids are representative of different classes of noncharged amino acids. We show that they can form relatively large metaclusters in solution that are difficult or impossible to observe by traditional solution techniques. We further demonstrate, as an example, that the formation of Ser metaclusters is not an ESI artifact because large metaclusters can be detected in negative polarity and low concentration with similar cross sections to those measured in positive polarity and higher concentration. The growth trends of tryptophan and isoleucine metaclusters, along with serine, asparagine, and the previously studied phenylalanine, are balanced among various intrinsic properties of individual amino acids (e.g., hydrophobicity, size, and shape). The metacluster cross sections of hydrophilic residues (Ser, Asn, Trp) tend to stay on or fall below the isotropic model trend lines whereas those of hydrophobic amino acids (Ile, Phe) deviate positively from the isotropic trend lines. The growth trends correlate well to the predicted aggregation propensity of individual amino acids. From the metacluster data, we introduce a novel approach to score and predict aggregation propensity of peptides, which can offer a significant improvement over the existing methods in terms of accuracy. Using a set of hexapeptides, we show that the strong negative deviations of Ser metaclusters from the isotropic model leads a prediction of microcrystalline formation for the SFSFSF peptide, whereas the strong positive deviation of Ile leads to prediction or fibril formation for the NININI peptide. Both predictions are confirmed experimentally using ion mobility and TEM measurements. The peptide SISISI is predicted to only weakly aggregate, a prediction confirmed by TEM.

The 1-hydroxyethyl radical is a central intermediate in oxidative reactions occurring in beer. The reactivity of thiol-containing compounds toward 1-hydroxyethyl radical was evaluated in beer model solutions using a competitive kinetic approach, employing the spin-trap 4-POBN as a probe and by using electron paramagnetic resonance to detect the generated 1-hydroxyethyl/4-POBN spin adduct. Thiol-containing compounds were highly reactive toward the 1-hydroxyethyl radical with apparent second-order rate constants close to the diffusion limit in water and ranging from 0.5 × 10⁹ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the His-Cys-Lys-Phe-Trp-Trp peptide to 6.1 × 10⁹ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the reduced lipid transfer protein 1 (LTP1) isolated from beer. The reactions gave rise to a moderate kinetic isotope effect (k(H)/k(D) = 2.3) suggesting that reduction of the 1-hydroxyethyl radical by thiol-containing compounds takes place by hydrogen atom abstraction from the RSH group rather than electron transfer. The content of reduced thiols in different beers was determined using a previously established method based on ThioGlo-1 as the thiol derivatization reagent and detection of the derivatized thiols by reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector. The total level of thiol in beer (oxidized and reduced) was determined after a reduction step employing 3,3',3″-phosphanetriyltripropanoic acid (TCEP) as the disulfide reductant. A good correlation among total protein and total thiol content in different beers was observed. The results suggest a similar ratio between reduced thiols and disulfides in all of the tested beers, which indicates a similar redox state.

The early oligomerization of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is a crucial step in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in which soluble and highly neurotoxic oligomers are produced and accumulated inside neurons. In search of therapeutic solutions for AD treatment and prevention, potent inhibitors that remodel Aβ assembly and prevent neurotoxic oligomer formation offer a promising approach. In particular, several polyphenolic compounds have shown anti-aggregation properties and good efficacy on inhibiting oligomeric amyloid formation. 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose is a large polyphenol that has been shown to be effective at inhibiting aggregation of full-length Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42, but has the opposite effect on the C-terminal fragment Aβ25-35. Here, we use a combination of ion mobility coupled to mass spectrometry (IMS-MS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the inhibitory effect of PGG on aggregation of full-length Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42. We show that PGG interacts strongly with these two peptides, especially in their N-terminal metal binding regions, and suppresses the formation of Aβ1-40 tetramer and Aβ1-42 dodecamer. By exploring multiple facets of polyphenol-amyloid interactions, we provide a molecular basis for the opposing effects of PGG on full-length Aβ and its C-terminal fragments.