(1) Background: In the current highly competitive brewing industry, most breweries may benefit from a reduction in mashing time. In this study, a novel enzymatic assay format was used to investigate the activities of α-amylase and β-amylase during different mashing profiles, with the aim to use it as a tool for optimizing the production time of an existing industrial mashing process; (2) Methods: Lab-scale mashings with eight different time-temperature programs and two different pilot brews were analyzed in terms of enzymatic activity, sugar composition, alcohol by volume in the final beer, FAN and others; (3) Results: A 20-min reduction (out of an original 73-min mashing program) was achieved by selecting a temperature profile which maintained a higher enzymatic activity than the original, without affecting the wort sugar composition and fermentability, or the ethanol concentration and foam stability of the final beer. (4) Conclusions: A method is presented which can be used by breweries to optimize their mashing profiles based on monitoring α-amylase and β-amylase activities.
Trace
levels of copper can impact the flavor stability of beer.
The main source of copper is malt, and the wort copper levels are
established during mashing and lautering. This study focuses on sweet
worts made from experimental roasted and caramel malts. Potentiometric
titrations using ion-selective electrodes combined with electron paramagnetic
resonance spectroscopy have been used to investigate Cu(II) binding
in worts as well as the impact of Cu(II) ions on the wort oxidative
stability. High-temperature treatment during malting decreased Cu(II)
binding affinities in the worts, with roasted malt worts having lower
affinities than caramel malt worts of similar color and pH. Electron
paramagnetic resonance spectra indicated dipeptides as the main Cu(II)
chelators. A positive correlation between Cu and free amino nitrogen
levels in worts is demonstrated. In dark worts with high rates of
radical formation, Cu(II) had pronounced antioxidative effects. In
contrast, moderate prooxidative effects were observed when adding
Cu(II) to pale worts with inherently low rates of oxidation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.