Molecular brewing: Molecular structural effects involved in barley malting and mashing

Ten barley samples containing varied protein contents were subject to malting followed by mashing to investigate molecular effects of both barley starch and starch- protein interactions on malting and mashing performances, and the underlying mechanism. Starch granular changes were examined using differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The molecular fine structures of amylose and amylopectin from unmalted and malted grain were obtained using size-exclusion chromatography. The results showed that both amylose and amylopectin polymers were hydrolyzed at the same time during malting. Protein and amylose content in both unmalted and malted barley significant negatively correlated with fermentable sugar content after mashing. While protein content is currently the main criterion for choosing malting varieties, this study shows that information about starch molecular structure is also useful for determining the release of fermentable sugars, an important functional property. This provides brewers with some new methods to choose malting barley.