Assessing the impact of the level of diastatic power enzymes and their thermostability on the hydrolysis of starch during wort production to predict malt fermentability

In this study, commercially produced malts were used for small-scale simulated mashing trials to investigate the impact of differences in the level and thermostability of malt diastatic power (DP) enzymes on the resultant wort fermentability. A modified European Brewery Convention/American Society Brewing Chemists mashing protocol was used with mash-in temperatures ranging between 45 and 76°C for full-malt and 30% rice adjunct mashes. Malt extract yield varied little with mashing temperature for most varieties in this temperature range. However, the fermentability, maltose content, and free amino nitrogen of that extract was considerably affected by mashing temperature with 65°C achieving the highest fermentability for all malt varieties. Multilinear regression analysis of full-malt and rice adjunct mashing trials at 65°C using 43 commercial malts showed that the level of α-amylase and total limit dextrinase activity, Kolbach Index, and the total β-amylase activity level and thermostability were the most important malt quality predictors of wort fermentability. These conclusions suggest that the conventional DP assessment could be replaced with the measurement of its component enzymes outlined above so that maltsters could better satisfy brewers malt quality expectations by blending and defining their malt quality in terms of these fermentability predicting factors. This information would be particularly useful to brewers who brew with multiple varieties and blends from different suppliers. The focus on individual enzyme characteristics by barley breeders is likely to provide selection targets that are more accurate and achievable.