Beer | FlavorActiV GMP Flavour Standards
                     GMP Flavour Standards
FlavorActiV GMP Pharma Flavour Standards Product Guide
9/10 of the world‘s largest beverage brand 
owners rely on FlavorActiV for their sensory 
needs. 
FlavorActiV is the global leader in the training and monitoring of professional 
tasting panels.
From the worlds only pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of 
flavour reference standards, FlavorActiV produces its encapsulated flavour 
references to Pharmaceutical Quality GMP Standards. These flavour standards 
are used directly within liquid foods or beverages to impart a taint, off-note 
or positive flavour for the purposes of training and maintaining the abilities of 
professional tasters. 
FlavorActiV’s multi-lingual trainers deliver sensory training with FlavorActiV’s 
Pharmaceutical Quality GMP Flavour Standards. Once trained, most sensory 
panels are then regularly monitored by FlavorActiV’s proprietary taster 
proficiency software, in use by 50,000+ tasters globally. 
A fully trained and monitored sensory tasting panel brings human validation 
to the detailed analytical outputs of sensory instruments. The considered 
combination of both human and instrument sensory is where FlavorActiV 
adds further value and mitigates risk for brand owners. 
FlavorActiV GMP Flavour Reference Standards are safe to both smell and taste. They are 
used the world over to train beverage sensory panels as they learn how taints, positive FlavorActiV has changed the math. Their fl avor 
and negative fl avours can infl uence quality and brand expectations. capsules are relevant, accurate, and globally 
available—just as easy if you’re in Lima as in 
From the world’s only pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of fl avour Limerick as in Lincoln, Nebraska. FlavorActiV saw 
reference standards, FlavorActiV produces its encapsulated fl avour references to GMP that coff ee had a need, and they invested in the 
Pharma Standards. These fl avour standards are used directly within liquid foods or R&D to create something completely new. We 
beverages to impart a taint, off -note or positive fl avour for the purposes of training and embrace the same spirit of solving problems 
maintaining the abilities of professional tasters. through innovation. We’re very excited about 
what they’ve done.”
FlavorActiV produces its industry leading encapsulated fl avours in its state-of-the-
art pharma facility designed from the ground up at the direct request of its global Tim Schilling
customers as they looked to move away from inferior food grade ‘certifi ed fl avour CEO, World Coff ee Research
standards’ to GMP Pharma, a standard that ensures safe, stable, traceable, consistent 
and long shelf-life products. The MHRA audited facility is located near Liverpool in the 
UK. 
Once a panel has undergone its initial training the fl avour standards are used to 
maintain their abilities in double blind profi ciency testing, supported by FlavorActiVs GMP Flavour Standards are 
sold in individual fl avour 
proprietary taster software. packs, each pack contains 5 
blister packaged capsules.
The FlavorActiV Pharmaceutical Quality GMP Flavour Standards range is constantly 
expanding to meet the needs of new beverage and non-beverage customers. 
Beer Flavour Standards
Name
Icon Chemical Name
Associated Terms
Acetaldehyde acetaldehyde Bitter iso-alpha-acids
under-ripe fruit, green apple, solvent bitter taste
Acetic acetic Bromophenol 2-bromophenol
sour, vinegar, sharp, acidic electric fire, inky, chemical
Alkaline sodium bicarbonate Butyric butyric acid
caustic, chemical cleaner baby vomit, rancid, cheese, parmesan
Almond benzaldehyde Caprylic octanoic acid
marzipan, bitter almond, cherry goat, waxy, tallowy
Astringent saponins Caramel 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine
dry, puckery caramel, chocolate
Brett-Barnyard 4-ethyl phenol Catty p-menthane-8-thiol-3-one
band-aid, medicinal, sweaty horse blackcurrant, tom cat urine
Chlorophenol 2,6-dichlorophenol Hop Oil oil derived from target hops
disinfectant, antiseptic, mouthwash beer hop
Cooked Vegetables methylthio-acetate Indole indole
cooked cauliflower, cabbage pig, faecal, farmyard, coliform, jasmine
Diacetyl 2,3-butanedione Isoamyl Acetate isoamyl acetate
buttery, butterscotch, cream, toffee fruity, banana
DMS dimethyl sulphide Isoamyl Alcohol isoamyl alcohol
sweetcorn, tomato sauce fusel oil, fruity, banana, estery
Earthy 2-ethyl fenchol Isovaleric isovaleric acid
wet earth, damp soil cheesy, sweaty, rancid
Ethyl Acetate ethyl acetate Kettle Hops ketones & terpenes from 
nail enamel, solvent, acetone, paint kettle hop hop oilNail Polish
Ethyl Butyrate ethyl butyrate Lactic lactic acid
tropical fruit, pineapple sour milk, yoghurt
Ethyl Hexanoate ethyl hexanoate Leathery 6-isobutylquinoline
fruity, apple, aniseed mouth drying, animal hyde
Freshly Cut Grass cis-3-hexanol Lightstruck 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol
leafy, hedge trimmings skunk, sulphur
Geraniol geraniol Malty/Biscuity 2-acetylpyridin
floral, rose water toasted grain, malt
Grainy iso-butyraldehyde Methanethiol methyl mercaptan
green, Harsh, Green Malt Character rotten vegetables, leek-like
H2S hydrogen sulphide Mercaptan ethanethiol
rotten eggs, sulphury sulphury, drain gas, butane-like
Honey ethyl phenyl acetate Metallic ferrous sulphate
metal, iron,rust, blood-like
Methional 3-methylsulfanylpropanal
peeled potato, mashed potato
Motor Fuel p-cymene
diesel, heavy solvent, gasoline
Mousy 2-acetyletrahydropyridine
mouse, white crackers
Mushroom octan-1-ol
fungus, metallic
Musty 2,4,6-trichloroanisole
corked wine, musty, damp
Cooked Onion dimethyl trisulphide
Garlic-like
Oxidised oxidised
old beer, aged, standing beer
Papery trans-2-nonenal Sour citric acid
wet paper, cardboard lemon, acid, sour milk
Phenolic 4-vinyl guaiacol Spicy eugenol
spicy, herbal, cloves all-spice, clove oil
Plastic Matchesstyrene Sulphitic sulphur dioxide
polystyrene, melting plastic struck match, choking
DMDS dimethyl disulphide Sweet sucrose
rotten vegetable 
Salty sodium chloride Yeasty active dried yeast
salt fermented, sulphurous, yeast
Smoky guaicol Vanilla vanillin
smoked meat, kippers custard-like, cream soda
Why we use blister packaging 
• GMP Flavour Standards are retained in pharaceutical grade 
blister packaging, protecting them from the environment until 
they are ready for use. Sensory Systems
• The Blister Packaging reduces the amount of headspace available 
for fl avour to escape to. Only a small amount of fl avour can come for Success
out of the capsule, maintaining the overall quality of the fl avour 
standard.
For over 20 years, three times Queen’s Award winner FlavorActiV has been 
• Each fl avour standard is retained in its own blister pocket. If you 
use one fl avour standard the rest remain protected from the a trusted and vital partner to the global beverage industry. Our multilingual 
environment. team of sensory professionals train and validate tasters in best sensory 
practices to ensure quality beverages reach the market. 
Why not use pots? 
We deliver 5 core capabilities to our multi-beverage customers; sensory 
• Polypropylene, PVC and other plastic containers are all 
semi-porous. They allow small molecules to pass through the training, fl avour stability, tasting services, profi ciency testing, and GMP 
packaging allowing contamination and fl avour loss of the fl avour Flavour Standards.
standard.
• Pots have a signifi cant ‘head space’ that allows a substantial 
amount of fl avour to escape into the immediate area as a gas.
• In order to access a fl avour standard the pot lid has to be opened. 
This risks exposing every fl avour standard each time they are 
used.
• Flavours can escape and potential conaminants can enter the pot.
Coff ee 
Calibration
Pack A7 sticker
(105mm x 74mm)
Sensory Proficiency 
FlavorActiV’s Sensory Proficiency service ‘Taster Validation’ helps beverage producers maintain excellence in sensory panels and improve beverage quality. Sensory proficiency is 
known under many names in different beverage sectors; validation, calibration and proficiency, but all of these have a single purpose;
The idea is simple; blind tasting packs are sent out to sensory panels around the world at specified times and used to assess and train panels abilities through a series of different 
tests. Panel leaders then update the results and immediately are presented with a detailed breakdown of individual and panel performance across the entire organisation. The data 
can be broken down and presented in a multitude of ways, using the detailed demographic information stored on every taster to increase understanding and learning. Quick and 
easy to use, but an incredibly powerful tool to understanding what is needed to maintain the quality of tasters, and the end products that customers see.
Today it is used by many of the largest beverage companies and breweries in the world to ensure sensory panels are performing to the best of their abilities. More than 3,000 
sensory panels are enrolled, with a total of more than 50,000 sensory participants, meaning it is the biggest such programme in the world and the only one to use pharmaceutical 
grade GMP Flavour Standards. 
After the initial investment of training, maintaining peak performance in a quick and convenient way will ensure beverage quality remains high. Taster Validation is an advanced 
programme that is designed for professional sensory panels, either within a single organisation or across multiple.
Features:
• Double-blind sensory proficiency tests using FlavorActiV GMP Flavour Standards
• World’s largest sensory proficiency test providers;  
over 3,000 sites and 50,000 participants
• Online proficiency system for data entry, result  
analysis and management
• Sensory proficiency schemes from one site to hundreds
• Suitable for all beverage ranges
Contact us (in any of the 16 languages we speak) at:
EMEA
[email protected]
APAC
[email protected]
Americas
[email protected]
FlavorActiV 
Parkwood Stud +44 (0) 1844 396 113
Aston Park [email protected]
Aston Rowant
Oxfordshire Registered in England and Wales, 
OX49 5SP Company number 3205545
www.flavoractiv.com © FlavorActiV Limited