Profiling Malt Enzymes Related to Impact on Malt Fermentability, Lautering and Beer Filtration Performance of 94 Commercially Produced Malt Batches

A largely defined series of hydrolytic enzymes active during malting and/or mashing, substantially determine the quality, profitability, and efficiency brewing process. These potentially hydrolyze starch, proteins cell wall non-starch polysaccharides including β-glucan arabinoxylan. Commercial malts (94) were assayed for DP (limit dextrinase, beta/α-amylase), NSP hydrolyzing (β-glucanase, xylanase, arabinofuranosidase, β-glucosidase). The levels enzyme activity related to conventional measures malt quality such as extract, fermentability, protein, KI, DP, friability, wort viscosity, FAN, β-glucan. parameters interrelated with less coarse extract fermentability (modified infusion mash 65 °C), lautering efficiency, Small-scale Wort ‘I’ Filtration Test (SWIFT), viscosity. Substantial variation was observed between samples all assayed. Australian barley, whether malted in Australia (n = 61) or China 24), be comparable quality. limited set Canadian barley 9) produced somewhat higher AAL, some enzymes. Remarkably, level limit dextrinase almost double that from previous investigations. Greater steep water aeration proposed explain this dramatic increase. interrelationships activities identified, enable potential selection novel are more predictive a malt’s performance (efficiency quality) than current provide assessment system based on ‘functional’