Comparative Analysis of the Essential Oil Contents of Azadrichta indica and Humulus lulpulus: Could Azadrichta indica Substitute Humulus lulpulus in Beer Brewing?

Hops (Humulus lulpulus) give beer its brewing qualities (iso-alpha acid and essential oil). Hop acid is responsible for bitterness while hop essential oil is responsible for aroma and palate fullness. The aim of the study is to investigate the potentiality of substituting hop oil with neem (Azadrichta indica) oil in beer brewing. The oils were analyzed using Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic technique after extracting the oil by solvent extraction. Hydrocarbon and Sulphur contents were also investigated using their standard methods. FTIR results show that both oils contain similar functional groups. It was observed that some hydrocarbons (myrcene, ocimene and α and β-pinene) present in essential oil of hop were also present in neem leaf oil. Volatile sulphur compounds such as dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl trisulphide present in hop oil were also found in neem oil. This study revealed that neem oil could be used as a substitute for hop oil in aroma enhancement in beer.