FlavorActiv (Leandro Fedele/Evelyne Canterranne)

Augmenting beer quality: Integrating human sensory with analytical instruments using electronic nose technology

Beer is a highly complex beverage, with aroma playing a central role in defining quality, freshness, and consumer perception. Comprising hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), beer aroma arises from raw materials, fermentation, and processing conditions, yet traditional analytical methods often struggle to capture this complexity in a holistic and repeatable manner. This study explores the application of Electronic Nose (E-Nose) technology as an objective, high-resolution tool for aroma analysis in beer.  

Human sensory evaluation remains the gold standard for assessing beer aroma, providing essential qualitative insight into character, balance, and acceptance. However, sensory assessment alone is inherently subjective and influenced by individual variability. E-Nose analysis can be used to complement human sensory data by providing quantitative, reproducible measurements of beer aroma profiles, enabling more consistent interpretation of aromatic change.  

The Electronic Nose mimics the human olfactory system through an array of chemical sensors designed to detect and respond to complex mixtures of VOCs. Using customised headspace sampling protocols aligned with standard brewery handling practices, the E-Nose captures detailed aroma fingerprints across multiple beer styles and storage conditions. These fingerprints allow subtle shifts in aroma composition to be tracked over time, supporting the objective monitoring of freshness, flavour stability, and process-driven variation.  

By correlating E-Nose outputs with trained sensory panel assessments, this presentation demonstrates how aroma pattern recognition can be used to link chemical signals to perceived sensory attributes. The resulting aroma maps provide brewers and quality teams with a powerful tool to visualise and understand how changes in formulation, processing, or storage influence aroma expression and overall beer quality.  

Preliminary results show strong alignment between E-Nose aroma fingerprints and human sensory descriptors, highlighting the technology’s potential as a robust support tool for quality control, product development, and shelf-life assessment. This work illustrates how integrating E-Nose aroma analysis into brewery workflows can enhance decision-making, reduce sensory risk, and ultimately help deliver beers that consistently meet consumer expectations.

Evelyne Canterranne joined FlavorActiV in 2000 as the company’s first Global Sensory Specialist. Today, she now leads market development across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, working closely with her regional sensory specialists to support and advise Global Food and Beverage customers in terms of sensory quality.  Evelyne is also an experienced sensory trainer with having delivered more than 200 FlavorActiV courses worldwide, spanning corporate organisations, local production sites, and trade-level audiences.

Leandro Fedele is a Global Sensory Manager at FlavorActiV, specialising in sensory solutions, where he has worked since 2017. He brings a strong background in sensory science and has completed extensive professional training in sensory evaluation and quality assessment. Leandro’s work focuses on sensory evaluation, panel training, flavour standards, and supporting food and beverage organisations in building robust sensory programmes that drive quality, consistency, and deeper product understanding.