Enzymes
Widely
Used
in
the
Production
of
Fruit
Juices,
Beer
and
Distilled
Alcoholic
Drinks -
| Product |
Substrate |
Problem |
Enzyme(s) |
Action/Purpose |
| Fruit juices, wines |
Pectins |
Cloudiness |
A mixture of
(i) polygalacturonase, enhanced flavour, shorter
(ii) pectin esterase, fermentation time (wines)
(iii) pectin lyase
(iv) hemicellulases |
Reduced viscosity, no cloudiness, increased juice yield, |
| Beer |
1. Starch |
Non fementable |
Barley malt + bacterial and fungal α -amylases, β -glucanase |
Saccharification; stopped by boiling the 'wort' when 75% starch is saccharified |
| |
2. Protein |
-- |
Proteases (neutral) |
Hydrolysis of protein and increased fermentation rate (later); especially to obtain high gravity beer |
| |
3. Cellulose and barley β-glucans |
-- |
Cellulases |
Used to hydrolyse cellulose and barley β -glucans, especially when wheat is added as adjunct* |
| |
4. Protein (in association with tannin) |
Chill-haze on cooling the beer |
Papain |
Used in post-fermentation stages |
| |
5. Starch |
More total solids in beer |
Glucoamylase or fungal α –amylase |
Higher degree of saccharification, reduced alcohol and total solids; to produce 'light' beers |
| |
6. Dextrins** |
Nonfermentable more total solids in beer |
Genetically engineered yeast (S. cerevisiae) |
Utilizes dextrins to produce alcohols; to produce light beers |
| Distilled alcoholic drinks |
Starch |
Nonfermentable |
More heat stable bacterial α –amylase |
Saccharification of starch present in the substrate |
|
