Enhancing the hydrolysis of corn starch using optimal amylases in a high-adjunct-ratio malt mashing process.

Incompletely degraded corn starch particles often seriously inhibit wort filtration and decrease a brewery's beer productivity. Herein, the inhibiting factors of starch hydrolysis and the application of amylases to degrade residual starch were evaluated. The results showed that resistant starch and the amylopectin of corn starch were not the inhibiting factors. Almost all residual starch left in the spent grain layer was proved to be degradable by amylases. Mesophilic α-amylase was selected through a comparison of nine amylases, which increased the wort filtration rate by 44%. However, >6% of corn starch was still left after mashing when a high ratio of corn starch to water (>1:3.5) was used in liquefaction. The low water content in liquefaction was proved to be the key inhibiting factor. Considering the existing equipment and brewing technology, the application of mesophilic α-amylases should be a simple and effective method for enhancing the hydrolysis of corn starch and accelerating the wort lautering process during a high-adjunct-ratio beer brewing process.