Fast LC analysis of the α-acid content of “fresh” and “aged” hops

Summary A quaternary mobile phase was optimized in conjunction with Fast LC techniques to separate α and β acids extracted from hops in less than 4 minutes. The method is proposed for automated analysis of large numbers of hop samples and its usefulness is demonstrated by comparing α-acid levels obtained by liquid chromatographic and conductometric techniques. Both assays provided similar values for “fresh” hops but in “aged” hops liquid chromatography showed a lower level of α-acids.