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  5. Beverage | White paper: The influence of propylene glycol (PG) on alcohol determination in non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits

Beverage | White paper: The influence of propylene glycol (PG) on alcohol determination in non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits

PG is used as a carrier in beverages and can contribute to NIR-based alcohol measurements due to overlapping absorption bands. This study quantifies the PG-induced alcohol signal in non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits and provides practical correction factors for more accurate ethanol determination.

Propylene glycol (PG; propane-1,2-diol; E 1520) is a low-molecular-weight diol used in food applications primarily as a carrier and solvent. The presence of two hydroxyl groups results in high polarity and miscibility with both water and ethanol. These physicochemical properties make PG suitable as a carrier for flavoring substances and other compounds that require incorporation into aqueous or hydroalcoholic beverage matrices.

In beer, wine and spirits, the occurrence of PG should primarily be considered in relation to the formulation and processing of the respective beverage and therefore is present in the final product as a consequence of its authorized use as a carrier in food additives, food enzymes, flavorings and certain nutrient preparations [1,2]. Flavored beers, aromatized wine-based products, spirit drinks containing flavoring preparations, and their low- or non-alcoholic counterparts may therefore contain PG when PG-containing preparations are used in their manufacture.

In conventional beer, wine and spirits, ethanol is present at concentrations substantially greater than any PG concentration permitted through these applications. In low- and non-alcoholic products, however, ethanol concentrations are substantially reduced, whereas PG introduced through a flavoring or other authorized preparation may remain present. Consequently, the PG-to-ethanol ratio may increase considerably, raising PG's analytical significance in alcohol determination because its molecular structure and spectroscopic properties may produce a measurable response in NIR-based alcohol measurements.

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