The Biotechnology Of Malting And Brewing

The techniques of high quality beer production are described in a concise account of malting and brewing processes and the science upon which they are based.

Much has happened in the brewing industry since the last edition of this book was published in 1996. In particular, there has been substantial con solidation of larger brewing companies as major multinational concerns, and at the other end of the spectrum the microbrewing scene in various parts of the world has become established as a sustainable enterprise. For those involved in the scientific and technical aspects of fermented bever age production the changes have been no less daunting. The complete genome sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been determined and studies are underway in numerous laboratories throughout the world to unravel the expression of the genome (transcriptomics and proteomics) and understand exactly "how a yeast works. " This will undoubtedly con tribute to our understanding of yeast fermentation and flavor generation in a revolutionary way because it will enable the simultaneous monitor ing of all genes in the organism during the fermentation. In Chapters 2 and 3 of this volume Colin Slaughter and John Hammond bring the reader up-to-date in this rapidly moving area and cover the remarkable achievements of modern biochemistry and molecular biology. lain Campbell has also revised the systematics of culture and wild yeasts in Chapter 7. The other major technical change since the last edition of this book is the introduction of molecular characterization and detection of microor ganisms based largely, but not exclusively, on the polymerase chain reac tion (PCR) for amplification of specific DNA fragments.

Brewing is designed for those involved in the malting, brewing, and allied industries who have little or no formal training in brewing science. While some elementary knowledge of chemistry and biology is necessary, the book clearly presents the essentials of brewing science and its relationship to brewing technology. Brewing focuses on the principles and practices most central to an understanding of the brewing process, including preparation of malt, hops, and yeast; the fermentation process; microbiology and contaminants; and finishing, packaging, and flavor. The second edition gives more emphasis to engineering and technological aspects, with the three new chapters on water, engineering and analysis. Brewing, Second Edition, is both a basic text for traditional college, short, and extension courses in brewing science, and a basic reference for anyone in the brewing industry.

During the latter part of the last century and the early years of this century, the microbiology of beer and the brewing process played a central role in the development of modern microbiology. An important advance was Hansen's development of pure culture yeasts for brewery fermentations and the recognition of different species of brewing and wild yeasts. The discovery by Winge of the life cycles of yeasts and the possibilities of hybridization were among the first steps in yeast genetics with subsequent far-reaching consequences. Over the same period the contaminant bacteria of the fermentation industries were also studied, largely influenced by Shimwell's pioneering research and resulting in the improvement of beer quality. Towards the end of the century, the influence of brewing microbiology within the discipline as a whole is far less important, but it retains an essential role in quality assurance in the brewing industry. Brewing microbiology has gained from advances in other aspects of microbiology and has adopted many of the techniques of biotechnology. Of particular relevance are the developments in yeast genetics and strain improvement by recombinant DNA techniques which are rapidly altering the way brewers view the most important microbiological components of the process: yeast and fermentation.

Some ten years. have passed since the publication of the first edition of Malting and Brewing Science, a period of many changes. As before, this edition is an aid to teaching, particularly the MSc course in Brewing Science at Birmingham University, but it is also aimed at the requirements of other students of the science of malting and brewing throughout the world. In general, technological aspects are covered more fully in this new edition, although not malting and brewing practices that are exclusive to Britain. Nevertheless, the amount of technological information available is too great to be comprehensively covered iln one book. Scientific principles and infor mation receive more attention, but for details of analytical procedures reference should be made to the most recently published material of the Ameri can Society of Brewing Chemists, the European Brewery Convention and the Institute of Brewing. The new edition appears as two volumes because a single one would be inconveniently bulky. The first volume outlines the entire process and leads from barley, malting and water to the production of sweet wort. In the second volume there are chapters on hops and hop products, production of hopped wort, fermentation,yeast biology and all aspects of beer qualities and treatment. Decisions about the units of measurement proved difficult; metric units commonly used in the Industry are given and in parentheses are equivalents in degrees Fahrenheit, Imperial measures and UK barrels. Considerable information on equivalents is given in a special section in each volume.

These two exceptional volumes, both part of the second edition of a we ll established textbook, explore the biological, biochemical and chemi cal aspects of malting and brewing science. Focusing on the scientific principles behind the selection of raw materials and their processing, these two insightful text include brief descriptions of the equipmen t used.

There is an increasing interest of biotechnologists in the potential of cold-adapted organisms, since they play a major role in the processes of nutrient turnover and primary biomass production in cold ecosystems. Essential advantages of the application of such organisms are the rapid microbial metabolism at low temperatures, the low activation energy for enzymatic substrate hydrolysis and the low thermostability of enzymes from cold-adapted organisms. Benefits can also be deduced from the frost hardiness and frost resistance of cold-adapted plants and animals.