Development of a flavor hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cultivar, 'Furano Magical', with cones rich in 4-methyl-4-sulfunylpentan-2-one.

Background: Flavor hops (Humulus lupulus L.) are recognized as key raw materials that impart unique flavors to beer, especially in the emerging craft-beer industry. In this study the sensory evaluation of hop cone aromas using hop water extract by boiling (HWEB) was applied to develop new flavor hop cultivars in a screening from tens of varieties and breeding lines.

Results: The sensory scores of HWEB showed a significant correlation with polyfunctional thiol content in hop cones, including substances such as 4-methyl-4-sulfunylpentan-2-one (4MSP) and 3-sulfunyl-4-methylpentan-1-ol (3S4MP), which are known to be difficult to analyze mechanically. As a result of the sensory evaluation of HWEB, a breeding line, 'K906901060' was found to have a strong fruity note. Subsequent chemical analyses revealed that this cultivar had 80-136 μg kg of 4MSP in its cones, which is similar to the concentration present in current leading flavor hop cultivars, such as Citra (37-114 μg kg ) and Simcoe (2-112 μg kg ). Beer late-hopped with K906901060 provoked a greater tropical flavor impression than beer hopped using Nelson Sauvin hops.

Conclusion: The sensory evaluation of HWEB was indicated to be useful to search for hops containing polyfunctional thiols. The plant was registered, as 'Furano K906901060 Go' in Japan, in the EU, and in the USA, and the cultivar was given the commercial name 'Furano Magical'. This cultivar was derived from a cross performed in 1989 and had been kept as a mid-mother plant from 1997, until being selected in 2014, as described here. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.