Impact of mashing protocol on the formation of fermentable sugars from millet in gluten-free brewing

The production of fermentable sugars (FS) in gluten-free (GF) brewing is hindered by the high starch gelatinization temperatures of GF malts and lower diastatic power compared to barley malt. Our previous work has demonstrated that starch gelatinization was the primary hurdle, and when decoupled from a single mash phase, high concentrations of FS could be produced. However, more research was required to improve the applicability of GF brewing. In this study, millet was used as a model GF malt demonstrating that despite the low α-amylase and β-amylase activities compared to barley malt ∼ 90 % of the FS (∼110 g/L) could be produced within 40 min. Limitations to enzyme extraction and separation due to coarse milling and lautering initially limited FS by ∼ 30 g/L, requiring additional processing or exogenous enzyme supplements that improved fermentable sugar generation by ∼ 20 g/L. Overall, millet is a promising brewing ingredient, provided appropriate mashing procedures are implemented.

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

Starch hydrolysis during mashing: A study of the activity and thermal inactivation kinetics of barley malt α-amylase and β-amylase

Hydrolysis of starch is key in several industrial processes, including brewing. Here, the activity and inactivation kinetics of amylases throughout barley malt mashing are investigated, as a prerequisite for rational optimisation of this process. Varietal differences were observed in the activity of α- and β-amylases as a function of temperature for six barley and malt varieties. These differences were not reflected in the resulting wort composition after mashing, using three isothermal phases of 30 min at 45 °C, 62 °C and 72 °C with intermediate heating by 1 °C/min. Thermal inactivation kinetics parameters determined for α- and β-amylases of an industrially relevant malt variety in a diluted system showed that enzymes were inactivated at lower temperatures than expected. The obtained kinetic parameters could predict α-amylase, but not β-amylase inactivation in real mashing conditions, suggesting that β-amylase stability is enhanced during mashing by components present or formed in the mash.

Utilização do malte de sorgo na produção de cerveja: revisão bibliográfica

Resumo A cevada (Hordeum vulgare) é o principal cereal utilizado na produção de cerveja, mas é importada, na maioria dos países tropicais e subtropicais. Isto implica no aumento do custo de produção da bebida, além de não satisfazer a demanda das bebidas sem glúten no mercado. O sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) é um dos cereais que também podem ser usados na produção de cerveja e, ao contrário da cevada, é livre de glúten, recomendado para doentes celíacos. Assim, recentemente tem aumentado o interesse no uso do malte de sorgo para substituir o malte de cevada na produção de bebidas. No entanto, as principais dificuldades encontradas na produção de bebidas fermentadas a partir de malte de sorgo têm sido o baixo nível de enzimas hidrolíticas e a alta temperatura de gelatinização. O objetivo deste trabalho de revisão foi avaliar os principais fatores que afetam os processos de maltagem (tempo e temperatura de imersão, de germinação e de secagem) e a mosturação com malte de sorgo (pH e temperatura das enzimas, e métodos usados) na produção de cerveja sem glúten.

Noncanonical interactions between serpin and β-amylase in barley grain improve β-amylase activity in vitro

Serpin protease inhibitors and β-amylase starch hydrolases are very abundant seed proteins in the endosperm of grasses. β-amylase is a crucial enzyme in the beer industry providing maltose for fermenting yeast. In animals and plants, inhibitory serpins form covalent linkages that inactivate their cognate proteases. Additionally, in animals, noninhibitory functions for serpins are observed such as metabolite carriers and chaperones. The function of serpins in seeds has yet to be unveiled. In developing endosperm, serpin Z4 and β-amylase showed similar in vivo spatio-temporal accumulation properties and colocalize in the cytosol of transformed tobacco leaves. A molecular interaction between recombinant proteins of serpin Z4 and β-amylase was revealed by surface plasmon resonance and microscale thermophoresis yielding a dissociation constant of 10-7 M. Importantly, the addition of serpin Z4 significantly changes β-amylase enzymatic properties by increasing its maximal catalytic velocity. The presence of serpin Z4 stabilizes β-amylase activity during heat treatment without affecting its critical denaturing temperature. Oxidative stress, simulated by the addition of CuCl2, leads to the formation of high molecular weight polymers of β-amylase similar to those detected in vivo. The polymers were cross-linked through disulfide bonds, the formation of which was repressed when serpin Z4 was present. The results suggest an unprecedented function for a plant seed serpin as a β-amylase-specific chaperone-like partner that could optimize β-amylase activity upon germination. This report is the first to describe a noninhibitory function for a serpin in plants.

Inhibition of Arabidopsis chloroplast β-amylase BAM3 by maltotriose suggests a mechanism for the control of transitory leaf starch mobilisation

Starch breakdown in leaves at night is tightly matched to the duration of the dark period, but the mechanism by which this regulation is achieved is unknown. In Arabidopsis chloroplasts, β-amylase BAM3 hydrolyses transitory starch, producing maltose and residual maltotriose. The aim of the current research was to investigate the regulatory and kinetic properties of BAM3. The BAM3 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and first assayed using a model substrate. Enzyme activity was stimulated by treatment with dithiothreitol and was increased 40% by 2–10 μM Ca²⁺ but did not require Mg²⁺. In order to investigate substrate specificity and possible regulatory effects of glucans, we developed a GC-MS method to assay reaction products. BAM3 readily hydrolysed maltohexaose with a K_m of 1.7 mM and K_cat of 4300 s^-1 but activity was 3.4-fold lower with maltopentaose and was negligible with maltotetraose. With maltohexaose or amylopectin as substrates and using [UL-¹³C₁₂]maltose in an isotopic dilution method, we discovered that BAM3 activity is inhibited by maltotriose at physiological (mM) concentrations, but not by maltose. In contrast, the extracellular β-amylase of barley is only weakly inhibited by maltotriose. Our results may explain the impaired starch breakdown in maltotriose-accumulating mutants such as dpe1 which lacks the chloroplast disproportionating enzyme (DPE1) metabolising maltotriose to glucose. We hypothesise that the rate of starch breakdown in leaves can be regulated by inhibition of BAM3 by maltotriose, the concentration of which is determined by DPE, which is in turn influenced by the stromal concentration of glucose. Since the plastid glucose transporter pGlcT catalyses facilitated diffusion between stroma and cytosol, changes in consumption of glucose in the cytosol are expected to lead to concomitant changes in plastid glucose and maltotriose, and hence compensatory changes in BAM3 activity.

Differential expression of two β-amylase genes (Bmy1 and Bmy2) in developing and mature barley grain

Two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) β-amylase genes (Bmy1 and Bmy2) were studied during the late maturation phase of grain development in four genotypes. The Bmy1 and Bmy2 DNA and amino acid sequences are extremely similar. The largest sequence differences are in the introns, seventh exon, and 3' UTR. Accumulation of Bmy2 mRNA was examined in developing grain at 17, 19, and 21 days after anthesis (DAA). One genotype, PI 296897, had significantly higher Bmy2 RNA transcript accumulation than the other three genotypes at all developmental stages. All four genotypes had Bmy2 mRNA levels decrease from 17 to 19 DAA, and remain the same from 19 to 21 DAA. Levels of Bmy1 mRNA were twenty thousand to over one hundred thousand times more than Bmy2 mRNA levels in genotypes Legacy, Harrington, and Ashqelon at all developmental stages and PI 296897 at 19 and 21 DAA. PI 296897 had five thousand times more Bmy1 mRNA than Bmy2 mRNA at 17 DAA. However, Bmy2 protein was not found at 17 DAA in any genotype. The presence of Bmy2 was immunologically detected at 19 DAA and was present in greater amounts at 21 DAA. Also, Bmy2 protein was found to be stored in mature grain and localized in the soluble fraction. However, Bmy1 protein was far more prevalent than Bmy2 at all developmental stages in all genotypes. Thus, the vast majority of β-amylase activity in developing and mature grain can be attributed to endosperm-specific β-amylase.

Chemical genetics and cereal starch metabolism: structural basis of the non-covalent and covalent inhibition of barley β-amylase

There are major issues regarding the proposed pathway for starch degradation in germinating cereal grain. Given the commercial importance but genetic intractability of the problem, we have embarked on a program of chemical genetics studies to identify and dissect the pathway and regulation of starch degradation in germinating barley grains. As a precursor to in vivo studies, here we report systematic analysis of the reversible and irreversible inhibition of the major β-amylase of the grain endosperm (BMY1). The molecular basis of inhibitor action was defined through high resolution X-ray crystallography studies of unliganded barley β-amylase, as well as its complexes with glycone site binder disaccharide iminosugar G1M, irreversible inhibitors α-epoxypropyl and α-epoxybutyl glucosides, which target the enzyme's catalytic residues, and the aglycone site binders acarbose and α-cyclodextrin.