Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
A team of Belgian researchers unveiled an artificial intelligence model capable of predicting consumer ratings for beer and suggesting flavour enhancements.
Spearheaded by scientists at KU Leuven and the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, this innovative approach had the potential to revolutionize the food and beverage industry's product development strategies.
Beer's intricate flavour, derived from hundreds of aroma compounds, posed a challenge in comparing and ranking different varieties. Traditional methods relying on subjective taste assessments often led to biased comparisons.
Professor Kevin Verstrepen, the project's lead, aimed to provide a more neutral and scientific description of beers worldwide. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
The research team meticulously analysed 250 Belgian beers, measuring aroma compound concentrations and evaluating each beer against 50 criteria by a trained panel.
Utilizing the collected data, the team developed an AI model that predicted key aromas, overall appreciation scores, and suggested specific aroma additions to enhance beer quality.
Applying the AI model's recommendations to a commercial Belgian ale resulted in a significantly improved rating in blind tastings, showcasing the effectiveness of the technology.
The researchers were optimistic about applying their findings beyond beer, potentially revolutionizing the creation of new food products. One notable goal was to improve the taste of alcohol-free beer, using natural aroma compound cocktails to mimic the taste and smell of alcohol without the hangover.