Increasing fermentable sugar yields by high-pressure treatment during beer mashing

High-pressure treatment, which is an effective means of enhancing enzymatic reactions, was implemented during beer mashing to increase the production yield of fermentable sugar (FS). The malt solution was heated (62, 67, and 72 degrees C) under pressure [0.1 (1 atm), 2, 50 and 100 MPa], and the FS was measured. The amount of FS reached an equilibrium level, which was the highest at 67 degrees C and at 2 MPa. The pressures were 2, 50, 100, and 0.1 MPa in decreasing order of FS amount at 67 degrees C. The temperatures were 67, 72 and 62 degrees C in decreasing order of FS amount at 2 MPa. With a mechanistic approach, only the effect of pressure on gelatinization was analysed. The gelatinization degrees were also higher at pressures higher than 0.1 MPa. This observation highlights the positive effect (increasing the FS yield) of high-pressure treatment on beer mashing. Copyright (C) 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling