DSM launches brewing enzyme to leverage local unmalted grains

30 Oct 2020 --- DSM’s Maxadjunct ß L adjunct brewing enzyme is the latest addition to the global company’s brewing portfolio. This enzyme innovation, derived from selected bacillus strains, allows brewers to increase the adjunct level in beer, making the switch from malted to unmalted raw materials.

“Adjunct brewing is made possible by using solutions that provide the enzymes usually developed by malting ingredients,” Joana Carneiro, business director of beverages at DSM Food Specialties, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Leveraging resources
Brewers can use the new enzyme solution to leverage local unmalted materials, bypass the cereal cooking stage of production, save energy and increase capacity by 25 percent, according to the company.

“As malting is both water- and energy-intensive and accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the carbon footprint of beer, adjunct brewing typically allows for a significant reduction of both the resources used and the environmental impact of beer production,” she adds. 

Furthermore, adjunct brewing with enzymes can help producers overcome challenges by decreasing the amount of raw materials needed for beer production and creating a premium beer with locally available ingredients that may vary in quality. 

DSM found that 39 percent of individuals are willing to pay a premium price for beer produced with locally sourced raw materials.DSM’s 2020 Brewing Consumer Insights Report found that 54 percent of people said they are heavily influenced by ingredient claims, and 39 percent of individuals willing to pay a premium price for beer produced with locally sourced raw materials.

Empowering local 
Locally sourced ingredients have been in the spotlight as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt supply chains. 

In addition to transport barriers imposed to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, climate-related weather changes can affect supply. 

Extreme weather may affect the yield and quality of raw materials of crops such as barley, rice or sorghum globally.  

“A decrease in the quality of raw materials can increase the protein levels of crops, which may lead to malted raw materials that contain less starch to be converted into fermentable sugars, resulting in beer that is more sensitive to haze formation,” Carneiro explains. 

Maxadjunct ß L makes the starch in adjuncts more soluble and improves its conversion into fermentable sugars at temperatures of up to 80°C, effectively removing the cereal cooking step even when using adjuncts with high gelatinization temperatures, which typically adds cost and complexity to the brewing procedure.

The new enzyme also gives brewers greater flexibility to experiment with unconventional grains in beer. 

“Maxadjunct ß L can enable craft brewers to develop diverse beer varieties with exciting taste profiles using a range of unmalted cereals like rice, sorghum, cassava and maize,” she adds. 

Brewing label-friendly beer
The launch of Maxadjunct ß L comes as consumers pay more attention to what goes into their beer. 

“It’s clear that the importance of transparency and cleaner labels is on the rise,” says Carneiro. 

“As processing aids that are used during the beer-making process only and have no functionality in the end product, enzymes are a label-friendly choice for brewmasters.”

Reducing costs
The enzyme also assists in reducing energy by bypassing the cereal cooking step. 

Cereal cooking in the brewing process is required to make the starch in adjuncts with high gelatinization levels, like maize, rice or sorghum, more soluble and improve its conversion into fermentable sugars, which are needed to produce beer with the desired alcohol levels. Weather extremes affect the yield and quality of raw materials of crops such as barley, rice or sorghum globally.

“This additional step does, however, typically require extra time and resource investments, including increased energy for heating, time for cooking and water management – it also involves an additional cooling step prior to mashing,” Carnerio further explains. 

“Moreover, brewers must ensure there is the necessary floor space and procedures in place so that the cooker can be properly maintained and managed.” 

DSM’s Maxadjunct ß L adjunct brewing enzyme has been designed to achieve these benefits without the cereal cooking stage, nor additional CAPEX investments.

“Skipping the cooking stage allows the cereal cooker to be used as a mash vessel and thereby increase brewhouse capacity by up to 25 percent and reduce mash cycle time by up to 20 percent,” she says.

This means that manufacturers can brew higher quantities of beer faster to work more cost-effectively and sustainably.

Appealing to brewers big and small
Maxadjunct ß L can help to optimize production processes in breweries of all sizes, details Carneiro. 

This high-performance adjunct brewing enzyme can, for example, help mid-sized breweries increase brewhouse capacity, operational flexibility and resource efficiency to reduce costs and meet sustainability targets. 

Smaller, more local beer manufacturers might turn to this solution to allow them to brew with locally available unmalted raw materials more effectively and efficiently, helping them to manage costs. 

Alongside this latest enzyme, the range features DSM’s alpha amylase MATS L Classic, which improves extract yield and Amigase Mega L, an amyloglucosidase that accelerates fermentation and reduces processing time, for high attenuated and “light” beers.

By Missy Green