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Methional Flavour Standard
A Methional Flavour Standard is a specialised sensory reference tool used to assess and identify methional character in beer. This standardised solution helps brewers, quality control professionals, and sensory analysts detect one of the most common off-flavours that develops during beer ageing and storage.
The standard contains 3-methylsulfanylpropanal (methional) at controlled concentrations, allowing for consistent and accurate sensory training and quality assessment across different brewing facilities.
We ship globally – shipping costs may apply depending on your region
Minimum Order: £275
What Is Methional/Mercaptan Flavour in Beer?
Methional flavour is an off-flavour characterised by distinctive mashed potato and sulphurous aromas that develop in beer during storage and processing. The chemical compound responsible is 3-methylsulfanylpropanal, which becomes detectable at concentrations as low as 3 mg/L.
What Causes Methional/Mercaptan Flavour in Beer?
Methional/Mercaptan flavour develops through two primary pathways :
1. Beer Ageing Process
– Primary cause : Natural oxidation during storage and ageing
– Timeline : Develops progressively over time, particularly in stored beer
– Impact : Creates characteristic off-flavours that compromise beer quality
2. Maillard Reaction During Malting
– Process : Occurs when flavour compounds from the Maillard reaction interact with methionine
– Mechanism : Strecker degradation converts methionine into methional
– Source : Originates from malt processing and can carry through to finished beer
How to Recognise Methional Flavour : Sensory Terms
Methional presents distinct sensory characteristics that trained tasters can identify :
Flavour Characteristics :
Mashed potato – The most recognisable aroma profile
Peeled potato – Fresh, starchy vegetable notes
Sulphurous – Distinctive sulfur-like undertones
What are the Professional Applications of the Methional Flavour Standard?
The Methional Flavour Standard is essential for various beer industry professionals and organisations focused on quality control and sensory evaluation :
– Brewing industry professionals use it for quality control and detecting ageing-related off-flavours in beer production and storage.
– Quality control managers rely on it to maintain product consistency and investigate customer complaints related to methional defects.
– Laboratory professionals utilise it for independent beer analysis, shelf-life testing, and brewing process optimisation.
– Educational institutions and certification bodies incorporate it into training programs for beer judges, brewers, and sensory analysts.
By using the Methional Flavour Standard, professionals can accurately recognise, measure, and evaluate methional character (mashed potato, sulphurous off-flavours) in beer, ensuring product quality and consistency.
Other Information
Flavour level : 3- 8 mg / l
Typical detection threshold : 3 mg/L
Sensory impact level : Noticeable off-flavour above 5 mg/L
This is one of several flavours that can occur as part of the beer oxidation process. Others are dependent upon the type of beer and its stage of oxidation. Please contact us for more information about other oxidation and ageing flavours.
FlavorActiV GMP Flavour Standards
Only Pharmaceutical Quality GMP Flavour Standards provide sufficient quality for professional sensory panels to train and validate with.
We produce encapsulated GMP (Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice) Flavour Standards that are safe to both smell and drink. The compounds within our capsules impart the aroma, taste and mouthfeel of a specific defect or positive flavour into a beverage for the purposes of taster training, calibration and quality control.
Our individual flavour GMP Flavour Standards are sold by flavour, each flavour pack contains 5 capsules, each separately blister packaged. Our sensory kits contain a mixture of flavours, each separately blister packaged, read the product description for flavour details.
We ship globally, and have over 20 years of experience at it. Our GMP Pharmaceutical Flavour Standards are produced to the highest standards, and as such, their shelf-life is strong and their quality consistent.
FlavorActiV’s flavour centre is the world’s only pharmaceutically run facility dedicated to the production of flavour reference standards. The Flavour Centre is a state-of-the-art facility housed within the campus of world-renowned Quay Pharma near Liverpool in the U.K.
The Flavour Centre was designed by FlavorActiV from the ground up at the direct request of global customers as they looked to move away from inferior food grade ‘certified flavour standards’ to GMP Pharma, a standard that ensures safe, stable, traceable, consistent and long shelf-life products.
All FlavorActiV’s industry-leading encapsulated flavour standards are manufactured following GMP at our Flavour Centre. All aspects of manufacture are overseen by Quay Pharma who are audited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory agency (MHRA). We also welcome customer audits.
Only FlavorActiV GMP flavour standard capsules bear our mark of authenticity.
We brand each of our capsules so that our customers know they’re getting the Pharmaceutical GMP Quality that only FlavorActiV provide.
Industry leading packaging and shelf-life
FlavorActiV flavour standards are blister packaged, which extends shelf-life and protects capsules from potential contamination. The average shelf-life of FlavorActiV flavour standards is 18 months to 4 years, depending on the flavour compounds.
We will never ship in pots or plastic packaging, here’s why…
Blister packaging protects capsules from the environment until they are ready for use. Blister packaging greatly reduces the amount of headspace for possible flavour escape. As each capsule individually blister packaged, making use of one capsule still leaves all others protected. FlavorActiV Flavour Standard packaging is 100% recyclable, as opposed to polypropylene which is not widely recycled.
Pots are semi-porous, they allow molecules to pass through and flavour to be lost, their significant headspace also adds to substantial flavour escape as a gas, even when using just one capsule all those remaining in the pot are exposed.
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