Presenter: Sasa Despotovic, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. Coauthor(s): Ida Leskosek-Cukalovic, Mile Veljovic, Miomir Niksic, and Viktor Nedovic, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Antioxidants have important nutritional importance for the human body. They are considered as promoters of cardiovascular health, preventing cancer, and they could even slow down the aging process in humans. Beer as a popular beverage, when consumed in moderation, could be a good source of antioxidants, mainly phenolic acids originating from hop and barley. It is well known that beer is rich in phenolic compounds that have better quality, foam stability, sensory characteristics, and a longer shelf life. This study examined total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of novel beer types produced with herbs (Melissa officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Humulus lupulus), a mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) and red grapes. Total polyphenol content was determinate using the standard EBC method and the Folin-Ciocalteu method, as a standard galic acid was used. Similarly, antioxidant activity was measured by the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), using the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH⋅) method and the 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothialozinesulfonicacid) radical ABTS assay. Total polyphenol and phenolic acid contents to a great extent vary among different beer types (beer with a grape shows the highest polyphenol content). Similarly, the antioxidant activity of beer with a grape showed higher values then beer with Melissa officinalis. The contribution of single herbs and mushroom extract, as well as red grape must, to the antioxidant activity of beer were also studied.
Sasa Despotovic is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Brewing, Institute for Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia. He graduated from the Department of Brewing. Since 2008, Sasa has been an assistant teacher for the course Beer and Malt Technology. He is a member of the Serbian Society for Food and Nutrition. He is currently working on a project investigating the possibilities for making novel beer products based on their potential pharmacodynamic action. Sasa is interested in microbiology, food safety, and development of methods for antioxidant activity of beer-based products.