A Method for the Determination in Beer of Solvent Residues from Can Coating. R. Villarreal, J. A. Sierra, and E. González, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc, Monterrey, Mexico. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 42:0008, 1984.

A method is described for the determination in beer of solvent residues from can coatings. Previous reports in this field focused on the determination of solvent residues in the empty cans rather than in the beer. It is more important, however, for the brewer to be able to correlate a sensory evaluation of the beer with an analytical result. The method involves an extraction of the beer with an organic solvent, concentration of the extract, and gas chromatographic analysis of the concentrate. The sensitivity of the method is in the order of micrograms per liter (ppb) for methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, xylene, and other solvents used with the lacquers. The method was tested in canned beer from cans that had been subjected to different curing temperatures. The correlation between the sensory analysis and the analytical result was satisfactory.

Keywords: Canned beer, Gas chromatography, Liquid-liquid extraction, Residual solvents