P-18

Impact of thermostable alpha-glucosidase upon production of fermentable sugars during mashing.
ELIZABETH H. MUSLIN (1), Charles B. Karpelenia (1,2), and Cynthia A. Henson (1,2), (1) Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; (2) USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Madison, WI.

The thermal stability of alpha-glucosidase is important because the conversion of starch to fermentable sugars takes place at temperatures of 65-73°C. The thermolability of alpha-glucosidase results in either reduced efficiency of starch breakdown at the high temperatures used for starch gelatinization or requires that the starch be cooled to a more favorable temperature for enzymatic hydrolysis after the starch is gelatinized. To remedy this problem we created a thermostable alpha-glucosidase. In this study we tested the efficacy of the recombinant alpha-glucosidase during mashing. Mashing was conducted in the presence of non-mutated recombinant alpha-glucosidase (control) or the mutated alpha-glucosidase. The amount of glucose produced by the mashes containing the wild-type recombinant alpha-glucosidase was 9% greater than that produced by the control mashes. Experiments to determine the impact of this recombinant alpha-glucosidase upon the real degree of fermentation and the total carbohydrate profile of worts are underway.

Suzanne Clark received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996. She began as a graduate research assistant i Prof. Cynthia Henson's laboratory in 1996 and is currently working towards her Ph.D. in the Department of Agronomy.