K. L. CHRISTIANSEN (1), X. Yin (1); (1) Cargill-Malt, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Raw Materials
Thursday, June 5 - 2:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Level 4, Red Lacquer Ballroom
Due to the relatively small market for wheat malt in North America, soft
white wheat (SWW) varieties are bred for baking not brewing. For
brewers, the higher protein and polysaccharide contents of SWW can lead
not only to suboptimal brewhouse yields but also to extended lautering
times and issues with filtering and fermenting the wort and may impact
beer flavor in the bottle. Selection criteria for the maltster and
brewer are usually based on agronomic yields, market attractiveness, and
the resulting wheat malt’s viscosity, not flavor. The viscosity of
wheat malt is not solely related to beta-glucan content. Arabinoxylans
(AX) contribute significantly to wort viscosity. SWWs have varying
levels of AX and do not behave as beta-glucans do. This study was
focused on identifying better performing SWW varieties in the malt house
and brewhouse that met certain agronomic thresholds, along with
identifying malting conditions to reduce viscosity and filtration time. A
wide range of wheat varieties from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Michigan,
and Wisconsin were micromalted under varying conditions, including
gibberellic acid application to assess the impact on malt quality
parameters, including extract, color, viscosity, and enzyme activity. In
some cases, viscosity was reduced by nearly 15% with processing
modifications and extract and alpha-amylase increased by more than 5 and
100%, respectively. By selecting the appropriate wheat variety and
malting process based on the scientific insight obtained in the present
study, wheat malt need not play second fiddle to barley malt.
Katrina Christiansen received a Ph.D. degree in agricultural
engineering from Iowa State University in Ames in 2011. She is the
Cargill Malt North American Pilot Project lead in Spiritwood, ND,
supervising the innovation efforts in both the pilot malting and brewing
facilities.
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