Beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Advances in instrumental techniques have allowed the analysis and characterization of a large number of beers. However, review studies that outline the methodologies used in beer characterization are scarce. Herein, a systematic review investigating the molecular targets and sensometric techniques in beer characterization was performed following the PRISMA protocol. The study reviewed 270 articles related to beer analysis in order to provide a comprehensive summary of the recent advances in beer analysis, including methods using sensors and sensing systems. The results revealed the use of various techniques that include several technologies, such as nanotechnology and electronics, often combined with scientific data analysis tools. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind and provides the reader with a faithful overview of what has been done in the sensor field regarding beer characterization.

Bacteria produce many kinds of volatile compounds throughout their lifecycle. Identifying these volatile compounds can help to understand bacterial interactions with the host and/or other surrounding pathogens of the same or different species. Some commonly used techniques to detect these volatile compounds are GC and/or LC coupled to mass spectrometric techniques. However, these methods can sometimes become challenging owing to tedious sample preparation steps. Thus, identifying an easier method to detect these volatile compounds was investigated in the present study. Here, Membrane-inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) provided a facile low-impact alternative to the existing strategies. MIMS was able to differentiate between the pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacterial strains, implying that it can be used as a bioprocess monitoring tool to analyze water samples from either water treatment plants or biotechnological industries.