Food scientist shares secret to perfect beer foam

The secret to optimal froth on your beer? It’s not a fancy glass or even a secret pouring technique, according to food science researchers from Cornell University. It’s all due to just the right amount and kind of barley lipid transfer protein number 1 - also known as LTP1.

“Dissolved gases in the beer - carbon dioxide and, in some instances, nitrogen - play a role. So do acidity, some ions, ethanol levels, viscosity and numerous other factors that have been tried by brewers and scientifically tested,” said Siebert, professor of food science and technology at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.

“But LTP1 is the key to perfect beer foam.”

Foam is of vital importance to the sensory experience of beer appreciation, says Siebert, who was formerly a research chemist in the industry.

“To some beer aficionados, the sign of a good head - the proper consistency, colour, height, duration - is to draw a face with your finger in the foam, before taking the first sip. If the face is still there, when the glass is drained and the liquid is gone - that’s seriously good foam.”

Siebert’s article, ‘Recent Discoveries in Beer Foam’, is due to be published in the next issue of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.