ABSTRACT
Flavor staling in beer has been and still is one of the key concerns in the brewing industry. Although the crucial role of oxygen has been confirmed by numerous studies focused on natural aging of beer, exposure to light, in particular, has been recognized as the reason for formation of the so-called sunstruck flavor. This type of flavor, which had already been mentioned by Lintner in 1875 (cf. review in Ref. 1) is, however, reduced, when higher levels of oxygen are present in beer [2, 3]. By 1961, 3-methyl-2-butene-1thiol (MBT), exhibiting an intense sulfury aroma, was suggested as the main aroma compound responsible for the sunstruck flavor [3], and a very low odor thresholds of 4 to 35 ng/L has been reported [4].
