## 3 Results and Discussion
### Biochemical Analyses  
Total chlorophylls and total carotenoids (Table 7) were determined in the dried plant materials used for the production of the studied alcoholic beverages. The total chlorophylls content was higher in the _H. lupulus_ cones, as it reached 671.77 ug/g DW, than in the _H. rosa-sinensis_ flowers, which presented 8.28 ug/g DW. On the contrary, carotenoids were more abundant in the latter (229.29 ug/g DW) than in the former (161.17 ug/g DW). The red pigmentation of the hibiscus flowers was attributable to the anthocyanins, phenolic compounds responsible for the colors in fruits and vegetables widely used in the food industry as natural colorant [40]. Their content, reported in Table 7, was determined in both the analyzed plant materials and the studied alcoholic beverages. Unsurprisingly, the hibiscus flowers presented a noticeable amount of these chemical compounds (16.26 mg/g DW), while they were not detected in the hop cones. Regarding the beverages, the highest anthocyanin content was in the hibiscus liquefur, which presented 134.21 ug/mL. The hibiscus beer, instead, was characterized by a strongly lower content than the liquefur, as it showed 2.76 ug/g. However, the amounts of this class of secondary metabolites were significantly higher in the hibiscus beer than in the control one, in which they were not present. The presence of anthocyanins in the beer was probably due to the hibiscus flowers, as they usually are not reported as main phenolic compounds of beer [41]. On the contrary, flavonoids are key components of this alcoholic beverage since they contribute to its astringency and bitterness [41; 42]. The total flavonoid contents (TFCs) were also assessed in all the samples, with their highest presence in the hibiscus flowers (73.91 mg CE/g DW) and hop cones (27.29 mg CE/g DW), and among the beverages, the hibiscus liquefur (741.26 ug/mL). Concerning the beer samples, the TFCs were significantly more abundant in the treated beer (360.66 ug CE/mL) than in the control one (201.37 ug CE/mL). Finally, the total polyphenol content (TPC) was investigated for all the samples. Both the plant materials presented suitable amounts of polyphenols, even if they were more abundant in the hibiscus flowers (114.57 mg GAE/g) than in the hop cones (99.45 mg GAE/g). The  
\begin{table} \begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_Hibiscus_} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_HumulusInputus_} & & & & \\ _rosa-sinensis_ **L** & **cv. Cascade L.** & **Cones** & **Control Beer** & **Hibiscus Beer** & **Hibiscus** & **Liqueur** \\ \hline Total chlorophylls & \(8.28\pm 1.69\) & \(671.77\pm 65.64\) & & & & \\ (ug/g DW) & 229.29 \(\pm\) 24.26 & \(161.17\pm 7.66\) & & & & \\ Total anthocyanins & 16.26 \(\pm\) 0.98 & nd & & & & \\ (mg/g DW) & & & nd b  & 2.76 \(\pm\) 0.26 a  & 134.21 \(\pm\) 5.24 \\ (mg CE/g DW) & 73.91 \(\pm\) 6.9 & 27.29 \(\pm\) 1.89 & & & \\ Total flavonoids & & & 201.37 \(\pm\) 5.83 b  & 360.66 \(\pm\) 4.72 a  & 741.26 \(\pm\) 5.83  & 741.26 \(\pm\) 5.83  & 114.57 \(\pm\) 4.89 & 99.45 \(\pm\) 5.68 & & \\ Total polyphenols & & & 350.31 \(\pm\) 9.42 b  & 436.26 \(\pm\) 15.57 a  & 847.66 \(\pm\) 36.95 \\ (DPPH-assay scavenging effect \% & 75.7 \(\pm\) 0.29 & 62.62 \(\pm\) 1.95 & 35.79 \(\pm\) 0.97 b  & 74.71 \(\pm\) 6.94 a  & 73.45 \(\pm\) 6.65 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  The red pigmentation of the hibiscus flowers was attributable to the anthocyanins, phenolic compounds responsible for the colors in fruits and vegetables widely used in the food industry as natural colorant [40]. Their content, reported in Table 7, was determined in both the analyzed plant materials and the studied alcoholic beverages. Unsurprisingly, the hibiscus flowers presented a noticeable amount of these chemical compounds (16.26 mg/g DW), while they were not detected in the hop cones. Regarding the beverages, the highest anthocyanin content was in the hibiscus liquefur, which presented 134.21 ug/mL. The hibiscus beer, instead, was characterized by a strongly lower content than the liquefur, as it showed 2.76 ug/g.