Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) as a Source of Phytoestrogens in Beer

Abstract

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a fodder plant grown in many regions of the world. It is also known as a medicinal plant. Red clover contains large amounts of isoflavones, which are, due to their similarity to estrogen, called phytoestrogen; it is believed that they can increase the concentration of estrogen in women. Some studies have refuted this information, but this topic is still being researched. The aim of the work was to produce beer to which red clover is added during the boiling phase and to monitor the transfer of isoflavones from red clover to beer. Red clover was not added to the control sample during boiling. During production and fermentation, the basic physical-chemical properties of wort and beer were monitored, as well as acceptability among potential consumers, which was determined by sensory analysis. The results show that phytoestrogens do end up in beer. The analyzed beer contained biochanin A, formononetin, genistein, and daidzein, in a total concentration of 12.42 µg/mL. The control sample contained none of the aforementioned compounds. Sensory analysis gave promising results, and the tested consumers all approved the taste, smell, and aroma of the produced beer. The most notable aroma that was singled out by consumers was “hay-like”.