Effects of the mashing process and macromolecule contents on the filterability of barley malt

The filterability of barley malt is a critical quality parameter in beer brewing. The effects of two mashing processes (processes A and B) on the filterability of the three barley malts and their macromolecule contents were investigated. Filtration volume increased by 4%, 9%, and 13% for the Baudin, Ganpi, and Gangpi malts, respectively, and the final filtration volume of Gangpi was still poorer than that of Baudin. A downward mashing process (process C) was applied to measure the beta-glucan, arabinoxylans (AX), the polymeric arabinoxylan (PAX), and high molecular weight nitrogen (HMWN) content. The beta-glucan degradation rate of well-modified malt during malting was higher than that of poorly modified malt, whereas the PAX and HMWN solubilization rates during malting were lower in well-modified malt than in poorly modified malt. The filterability of poorly modified malt did not effectively improve with an initial mashing phase at 37 degrees C. beta-Glucan degradation and PAX and HMWN solubilization during malting were critical for ensuring malt quality. Thus, the goal of predicting the filterability of malt was achieved by applying a downward mashing process.

Automated summary

The filterability of barley malt is a critical quality parameter in beer brewing. Two different mashing processes were studied for their effects on the filterability of three barley malts. A downward mashing process was found to be able to predict the filterability of malt and the degradation of beta-glucan, solubilization of PAX and HMWN during malting were critical for ensuring malt quality.