LOW-ALCOHOL drinks may be a boon for drivers, but they lack the kick of the
hard stuff. Now the beverages could taste boozier than they really are, thanks
to the pungent findings of a Swiss researcher.
Markus Gautschi of Givaudan Roure Research in Dübendorf told the meeting
how his study of the properties of galangal, a ginger-like spice grown in East
Asia, led to the finding. The active compound, 1′-acetoxychavicol acetate, is
less stable than capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilli peppers, and its
burning taste not as long-lasting.
Gautschi’s group has purified the compound and synthesised a range of other
molecules with similar structures. In taste tests, volunteers reported that the
compounds made low-alcohol drinks taste as if they contained more alcohol.
“We don’t know how,” Gautschi admits. But he says the effect only works if
some alcohol is present: while the compounds seem to enhance the sensations that
alcohol normally produces on the tongue, Gautschi says that they can’t make a
non-alcoholic beer taste like a real ale.
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