Table of Contents
The influence of mash acidification on long-chain fatty acid content in wort determinated by a new developed method
Schütz, M, Back, W.
Lipids and their degradation products are well known as negative impact factors of flavour, flavour stability and foaming properties of the beer. On the other hand, lipids can have positive effects on yeast metabolism, because they support the fermentation under anaerobic conditions. They also limit the synthesis of flavour active esters. By investigations of different mashing and mash separation systems it has been shown that the majority of malt lipids remain with the spent grains and the majority of wort and hop lipids can be removed with hot break. But large quantities of lipids can be oxidised during the mashing process and the degradation products can damage the flavour and foam stability. Lipase and lipoxygenase as well as other enzymatic lipolytic factors act during the mashing process. Because of the development of numerous new mash and wort boiling systems (e. g. gentle wort boiling systems) it is very interesting to analyse the long-chain fatty acid content during wort production and to detect the lipid degradation products. Free long-chain fatty acids in wort and beer were detected by a new developed method using gas chromatography. The investigations demonstrate the effect of the mash-pH on free long chain fatty acid content in wort.
Descriptors: Free fatty acids, lipids, lipolytic enzymes, wort, mash acidification
BrewingScience - Monatsschrift für Brauwissenschaft, 58 (January/February 2005), pp. 6-10
