The impact of treatment of cereal mashes with hydrolases of non‐starch polysaccharides and pullulanase on the chemical composition of the obtained distillates

The distilling industry has been looking for more efficient technologies for spirit production. The pressureless starch liberation method (PLS) is an energy‐saving alternative to high‐pressure treatment of starch raw materials. Also, one of the promising solutions is the use of supportive enzymatic preparations during the mashing of starch raw materials. Rye and corn mashes obtained by the PLS method were treated with enzymes (pullulanase, xylanase, cellulases and cellobiase). The composition of volatile compounds in the distillates of the fermentation mashes was determined. Acetaldehyde was the dominant aliphatic carbonyl compound found in the raw distillates. Rye‐based fermentation distillates contained small amounts of propionaldehyde, isobutyraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde, which were not found in any of the corn distillates. The treatment of mashes with cellulolytic preparations caused an increase in the methanol content of the obtained distillates. All of the mashes treated with auxiliary enzymes yielded raw distillates with much higher levels of higher alcohols. The application of hydrolases of non‐starch polysaccharides, or pullulanase preparations, during the mashing of the starch raw materials affects the chemical composition of the distillates. Xylanase and pullulanase can be used in the processing of rye and corn mashes for subsequent use in distilled ethanol beverage production. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling