THE PROPERTIES,COMPOSITION AND FERMENTABILITIES OF WORTS MADE FROM 100% RAW SORGHUM AND COMMERCIAL ENZYMES

A mashing regime was developed using 100% raw sorghum which enabled commercially acceptable hot water extracts to be obtained in 85 minutes with minimal use of a heat stable α-amylase and proteolytic enzymes. This gave worts of HWE 295 1°/kg, with FAN levels of about 40 mg/l and ammonium ion concentration of about 60 mg/l. Higher, but commercially unacceptable, levels of proteolytic enzymes gave worts with FAN from 84.5 to 95 (mg/l). Addition of an amyloglucosidase as the commercial preparation Amylo300L, was required to convert the HWE to fermentable extract. The addition of Amylo300L, increased the DP1, DP2 and DP3 carbohydrate fractions of the worts from 22% to more than 90% of the total, compared to about 80% for a wort made from malted barley without the use of enzymes. Two different proteolytic enzymes gave different extracts and FAN contents presumably reflecting either differences in susceptibilities of the sorghum to the two enzymes or the presence of different additional enzyme activities in the different preparations. The level of ammonium ions in malted barley worts was 86 mg/l and up to 88 mg/l in worts produced from sorghum and enzymes. Enzyme addition produced increased levels of ammonia. The content of Group A (the most readily assimilated) amino acids was proportionally higher in sorghum worts compared to malted barley wort. Worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes, containing as little as 40 mg/l FAN, were fully attenuated. The yeast consumed about 35 mg/l FAN and 45 mg/l ammonium ions. Under identical fermentation conditions, the same yeast, fermenting a malted barley wort of comparable extract consumed 104 mg/l FAN and 37 mg/l ammonium ions.