Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "honey" Food Chem X. 2026 Oct 28;40:104720. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104720. eCollection 2026 Dec.ABSTRACTAging of a strong ale in five types of oak barrels (new American/French; used Bourbon/Sherry/Tequila) over 12 months was investigated. Sensory profiles, consumer liking, and volatile compounds were assessed via descriptive analysis, consumer tests, and multi-platform volatilomics. Distinct barrel-derived imprints were observed, yet a common evolution pattern was followed, where fresh malty/hoppy notes declined while fruity/honey/whisky aromas increased. Consumer liking peaked at 9 months and declined at 12 months with "yellow wine" stale notes. Through k-means clustering, five temporal evolution patterns were delineated among the 254 detected and annotated volatile compounds. Notably, the accumulation of aging-derived compounds (β-damascenone, oak lactones, vanillin) and the concurrent decline of fresh esters constituted a dynamic chemical succession associated with flavor transition. These results provide a time-resolved chemical basis for the aroma and preference evolution of barrel-aged strong ale, reflecting the dynamic balance between aging-derived compound accumulation and ester hydrolysis.PMID:43001277 | PMC:PMC13744930 | DOI:10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104720