Effect of varying starch properties and mashing conditions on wort sugar profiles

A global set of barley varieties shows a high diversity in starch structural properties and related gelatinisation characteristics

The gelatinisation temperature and bimodal granule size distribution of barley starch are important characteristics regarding resource efficiency and product quality in the brewing industry. In this work, the diversity in starch amylose content and granule proportions in a set of modern barley varieties (N = 23) was investigated and correlated with their starch gelatinisation behaviour. Milled barley samples had peak starch gelatinisation temperatures ranging from 60.1 to 66.5 °C. Upon separating the barley starch from the non-starch compounds, sample-dependent decreases in starch gelatinisation temperatures were observed, indicating the importance of differences in barley composition. The peak gelatinisation temperatures of milled barley and isolated barley starches were strongly correlated (r = 0.96), indicating that the behaviour of the starch population is strongly reflected in the measurements performed on milled barley. Therefore, we investigated whether amylose content or starch granule size distribution could predict the gelatinisation behaviour of the starches. Broad ranges in the small starch granule volumes (13.9-32.0 v/v%) and amylose contents (18.2-30.7 w/w%) of the barley starches were observed. For the barley samples collected in the north of the USA (N = 8), the small starch granule volumes correlated positively with the peak gelatinisation temperatures of barley starches (r = 0.90, p < 0.01). The considerable variation in starch properties described in this work highlights that, besides starch content, starch gelatinisation temperature or granule size distribution might provide brewers with useful information to optimise resource efficiency.

A continuous mashing system controlled by mean residence time

Continuous processes offer more environmentally friendlier beer production compared to the batch production. However, the continuous production of mashing has not become state-of-the-art in the brewing industry. The controllability and flexibility of this process still has hurdles for practical implementation, but which are necessary to react to changing raw materials. Once overcome, a continuous mashing can be efficiently adapted to the raw materials. Both mean residence time and temperature were investigated as key parameters to influence the extract and fermentable sugar content of the wort. The continuous mashing process was implemented as continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) cascade consisting of mashing in (20°C), protein rest (50°C), β-amylase rest (62-64°C), saccharification rest (72°C) and mashing out (78°C). Two different temperature settings for the β-amylase rest were investigated with particular emphasis on fermentable sugars. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a post-hoc analysis showed that the mean residence time and temperature settings were suitable control parameters for the fermentable sugars. In the experimental conditions, the most pronounced effect was with the β-amylase rest. These results broaden the understanding of heterogenous CSTR mashing systems about assembly and selection of process parameters

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors drive differences in the gelatinisation behaviour of barley and malt starch

We studied the impact of malting on barley starch gelatinisation properties and whether observed differences are due to changes in extrinsic or intrinsic factors. We isolated the total starch and large and small starch granules fractions from barley and malt samples and subjected them to DSC. The peak gelatinisation temperature for malt starch was, on average, 1.2 °C higher than for barley starch. The malting process and endosperm breakdown products were each responsible for half of this difference. The presence of water-extractable, non-starch components (sugars, minerals, protein and starch hydrolysis products,…) increased the intrinsic starch gelatinisation temperatures by 2.2-4.7 °C for barley and 3.6-5.3 °C for malt. The small starch granule fractions from barley had a 3.1 °C higher peak gelatinisation temperature than large granule fractions. No effect of malting was observed here. These findings indicate that matrix effects and starch granule size must be considered when addressing starch conversion during brewing.

The use of vapor condensation cavitation to increase the activity of milk of lime in sugar beet production

The paper presents research on increasing the activity of milk of lime in beet sugar production using vapor condensation cavitation. The work aimed to develop a rational way of activating milk of lime using the effects of vapor condensation cavitation and its hardware design, substantiating the optimal values of the process parameters. It was established that to increase the activity of milk of lime at a steam potential of 0.18 MPa, an optimal consumption of water vapor using vapor condensation cavitation is required, which is 1 .75 – 2.0% to the weight of the suspension. This is ensured by the action of the combined CaO particles with the bulk of the steam, due to which the Their additional solution is due to the t-plot, which occurs through the boundary layer from the bubbles. As a result, a pre-saturated, water-lime suspension is created, in which the It is the number of dissolved calcium ions. It has been proven that the water vapour-treated suspension is 1.5 times lower It expands and has a volume of sediment of the solid phase in the medium that is 10% larger than that of processed suspension. Such a study is indirect evidence of the increase in the dispersal of these systems after Her husband's work. By increasing the activity of milk of lime, it is possible to increase the effect of cleaning juices at various stages of the technological process and reduce the consumption of limestone for the production of granulated sugar.