Beer contains 4 to 8% alcohol.

It is a highly complex mixture of many compounds including sugars,

proteins, alcohols, esters, acids, ketones and terpenes. The chemical content of beer is responsible for
its flavor. Aroma is an important part of beer flavor and the aroma is largely determined by the volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) in beer. Among of these, two key areas identifies to monitor – 2,3-butadione
and 2,3-pentadione (vicinal diketones, known as VDK) which produce a butter-like flavor and can cause
an adverse odor at high levels. Typical range of VDK is from 1-50ppb in lighter beer and can reach
several hundred ppb in darker beer. Acetaldehyde is reduced to ethanol by yeast during fermentation
but oxidation of finished beer may reverse this process and convert ethanol back to acetaldehyde.
Typical level of acetaldehyde are in the range of 1 to 20 ppb.

GC-Headspace technology use to determine these two as polar compounds in beer are more soluble in
water than in air so only less than 0.5% of the compound in the sample may pass into the headspace.
Instead of loop technology, for this the pressure balancing technology is more useful, where the
detection limits can enhance by a factor of 100 as entire headspace volume can transfer into the
column.

Beer sample to be degassed prior to headspace analysis to prevent dissolved CO2 from influencing vial
pressure during headspace heating process and to minimize GC baseline disturbances.

10 ppb VDK by ECD

10ppmm Acetaldehyde by FID

As, the headspace volume is limited and alcohol % is more with other components, to do the analysis of
Beer for alcohol contents by Headspace is not advisable. The main problem in the vial bursting due to
pressure. More over, the concentration of low boiling compound is more which will restrict the high
boiling compound to come out. Plus, the affinity of polar compound to water is more than to air and so
will not come out in vapor phase. So, for the alcohol contents and other impurities, direct injection is
better.
Brandy Direct Injection

2,4,6-trichloroanisole in Wine