Quality and Pro-Healthy Properties of Belgian Witbier-Style Beers Relative to the Cultivar of Winter Wheat and Raw Materials Used

Unmalted wheat grain and barley malt are the basic materials used in the production of Belgian wheat beers known as Witbier. A change in the ingredients defined in the recipe, by which part of the unmalted wheat is replaced with wheat malt, can positively affect the quality of the beverage produced. The purpose of the study was to brew Witbier-style beers made from four cultivars of winter wheat, with a 50% share of unmalted wheat and barley malt as well as Witbier-style beers made from four wheat cultivars, where 25% of unmalted wheat was replaced with wheat malt. Physicochemical and sensory analyzes showed mild differences in the quality of the beer products, more specifically higher alcohol content (by 11.33%) were found in beers made without the addition of wheat malt, while higher sensory attractiveness and 17.13% higher total polyphenol content were identified in beers enhanced with wheat malt. Phenolic compounds were identified using UPLC-PDA-MS/MS. The highest flavanol content, including kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-pentoside, was found in beers produced using wheat grains of the ‘Elixer’ cultivar, whether or not wheat malt was added; the values were 1.31 mg/L in E50 beer, and 1.39 mg/L in E25 beer. The same beer samples with the highest antioxidant and antiradical activity were found (in E25 beer, 2.35 mmol TE/L, and in E50 beer, 2.12 mmol Fe(2+/)L). The present findings show that the investigated wheat cultivars may be used in beer production, whereas replacing part of unmalted wheat with wheat malt can improve the sensory profile of the beer produced.