A new study by researchers from Belgium is proving that AI can help improve a beer's brewing process, thereby improving its taste.
Using the various data sets, the team built models based on machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to forecast how a beer will taste depending on its composition.
As per the Guardian, The beer-changing study is led by Professor Kevin Verstrepen of KU Leuven University and his colleagues.
The journal Nature Communications described how they examined the chemical composition of 250 commercial Belgian beers of 22 varieties, including lagers, fruit beers, blonds, West Flanders ales, and non-alcoholic beers.
(Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) SAVONLINNA, FINLAND - MAY 25: Brewer Mika Kosonen samples a new batch of OTAN beer during brewing at the Olaf Brewing microbrewery on May 25, 2022, in Savonlinna, Finland. Olaf Brewing has launched OTAN beer to celebrate Finland's bid to join the NATO military alliance. OTAN is the French acronym for NATO and means "I get" in Finnish.
They then utilized the findings to improve an existing commercial beer, effectively spiking it with chemicals identified by the models as significant predictors of overall enjoyment, such as lactic acid and glycerol.
The tasting panel found that the changes enhanced evaluations for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers on measures like sweetness, body, and overall enjoyment.
While the models have limitations, such as the fact that they were only constructed using datasets from high-quality commercial beers, Verstrepen believes their most practical use might be improving non-alcoholic brews.
However, beer fans need not be concerned that new technologies would disturb a rich legacy, as Verstrepen points out that brewers' ability remains crucial.
Verstrepen argues that AI models forecast the chemical changes that might improve a beer, but it is still up to brewers to implement them, beginning with the formula and brewing processes.
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Study's Potential Contributions
The research praised its potential contribution, adding that forecasting flavor and customer preference based on chemical makeup is one of sensory science's ultimate aims.
They claim that a consistent, systematic, and unbiased method of linking chemical profiles to flavor and food appreciation would be a valuable asset to the food and beverage sector.
The study states their AI-powered tool could significantly aid in quality control and recipe development, providing an efficient and cost-effective alternative to pilot studies and consumer trials and eventually allowing food manufacturers to produce superior, tailor-made products that better meet the demands of specific consumer groups.
AI-Powered Alcohol Businesses
AI appears to be gaining steam for the development of alcoholic drinks, as a Scottish distillery is purportedly using an artificial intelligence model named 'SmokeDNAi' to better comprehend the aging process of whiskey in a barrel. Presumably, assisting the corporation in determining a whisky's 'profile' over time.
Diageo, an alcoholic beverage company, committed about $44 million in research into whiskey aging utilizing SmokeDNAi technology. Teams used the SmokeDNAi to analyze and compare the flavor and texture of two unique whiskies, one remnant, and the other original, produced in separate barrels.
The whiskey samples were submitted to a chemical analysis process, such as gas chromatography or liquid chromatography, and then an algorithm separated the findings into sets of distinct components. Using SmokeDNAi technology, this algorithmically created work of art progressively conjures up pictures of whiskey smoke.
Related Article: New Recycling Process Uses Beer Byproduct to Filter Out Metal in Waste Streams: Study
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