Use of Kovats' Gas Chromatographic Retention Indices in Beer Flavor Studies. Terry L. Peppard and Sharon A. Ramus, The Stroh Brewery Company, Detroit, MI 48207. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 46:0026, 1988.

The theory and application of Kovats' gas chromatographic retention indices for chemical characterization of volatile beer flavor constituents are discussed. Variations in measured retention index values due to the effects of a number of factors have been investigated. An outline is given of the design and use of a laboratory microcomputer data base that comprises more than 1,250 Kovats' index measurements for a variety of flavor constituents, many of which are derived from malt, hops, or the metabolic action of yeast.

Keywords: Beer flavor, Capillary column, Data base, Gas chromatography, Kovats' retention index, Mass spectrometry