IDENTIFICAÇÃO E QUANTIFICAÇÃO DOS TEORES DE α E β-ÁCIDOS DOS LÚPULOS PLANTADOS NO ESPÍRITO SANTO POR CROMATOGRAFIA LÍQUIDA DE ALTA EFICIÊNCIA (HPLC)

Abstract

Brazil is the third largest beer producer in the world, behind only to China and the United States. However, one of the essential raw materials to produce the drink, hops (Humulus Lupulus L.), still faces significant dependence on imports. Inside the lupulin glands located in female hop flowers are compounds that provide bitterness, aroma and important biological activities. It is the molecules known as α and β-acids (Humulones and Lupulones), together with their essential oils that contribute to this. The quantification of these α and β-acids is vital for brewers and researchers, since they improve the sensorial and functional characteristics of beers. In the last decade, through the certification of seedlings of this flower in Brazil, some Brazilian states have been presenting varieties well adapted to the climate. The states of the South and Southeast, at the forefront of this cultivation, have been playing a crucial role in this process of popularizing Hops. Thus, the objective of this work was the quantification, by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), of the α and β-acids present in samples from Espírito Santo and other states in the country. The results indicated a high amount of β-acids in the Teamaker variety (12.51 g 100 g^-1, m/m), while α-acids were predominant in varieties such as Zeus (14.89 g 100 g^-1, m/m) and Comet (14.69 g 100 g^-1, m/m). The study also demonstrated that the flower processing stage (harvesting, drying and storage) still requires greater care, since some varieties studied (Polaris and East Rent Golding) present a significant amount of compounds already oxidized due to poor conservation.