The method is suitable for beers of all original gravities and of any alcohol content.
The gas chromatography headspace method is used to determine the higher alcohols and esters present in beer, i.e., the volatile compounds are transferred from the headspace in the sample vial into the GC system for analysis. The following substances are measured in this analysis:
Acetaldehyde
Propanol-1
Ethyl acetate
2-Methylpropanol
3-Methylbutanol
2-Methylbutanol
2-Methylpropylacetate
Butyric acid ethyl ester
3-Methylbutyl acetate
2-Methylbutyl acetate
Hexanoic acid ethyl ester
Determination of the total oxygen content (dissolved and in the headspace) in filled containers
The bottled or canned beer is brought to 20 °C and mechanically shaken, thereby achieving equilibrium between the oxygen dissolved in the beer and the oxygen present in the headspace (Henry’s and Dalton’s laws). By directly measuring either the oxygen in the beer or in the headspace, the total oxygen can be calculated through referencing a table of values, which includes the headspace volume as a percentage of the fill volume.
Drinking water intended for use as an ingredient in the production of beer (brewing liquor) or other foods
Vinyl chloride is determined using gas chromatography with detection by means of mass spectrometry (GC-MS) through application of the static headspace technique (HS). This method detects selected volatile organic compounds including chloroethene (vinyl chloride).
The method is suitable for beer brewed to any original gravity or to any alcohol content.
Higher alcohols and esters in beer are determined by gas chromatography using the headspace method, e.g., the volatile compounds are transferred from the gas space in the sample vial to the GC system for analysis. The method is suitable for beer brewed to any original gravity or to any alcohol content.