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Wort Clarity: Effects on Fermentation

MBAA TQ vol. 41, no. 1, 2004, pp. 18-26  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Graham G. Stewart and Stephen A. Martin. International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, Scotland.

Abstract
The positives and negatives of wort clarity have been the subject of considerable debate. Wort solids have been shown to confer nutritive value during fermentation in both the brewing and Scotch whisky industries. The rate of fermentation is faster in the presence of solid material. The presence of insoluble material in wort is associated with high levels of lipid material, particularly unsaturated fatty acids and sterols. Both of these materials are essential membrane components of industrial yeast strains and can only be synthesized in the presence of oxygen, but they can be obtained from the surrounding medium. In addition, in the presence of wort solid material, carbon dioxide removal can be enhanced because the insoluble material acts as a nucleator. However, wort solids can impede beer filtration and cause flavor problems. The influence of all these factors in brewing and distilling on fermented wort quality are considered.
Keywords: esters, fatty acids, fermentation, higher alcohols, solids, wort

 

S�ntesis
Se ha debatido bastante sobre las consideraciones positivas y negativas de la claridad del mosto. Se ha demostrado que los s�lidos del mosto le confieren valor nutritivo durante la fermentaci�n, tanto en la elaboraci�n de cerveza como de whisky escoc�s. La velocidad de la fermentaci�n es mayor en la presencia de material s�lido. La presencia de material insoluble en mosto es asociada con altos niveles de material l�pido, particularmente �cidos grasos no saturados y esteroles. Ambos materiales son componentes esenciales de las membranas de cepas de levadura industrial y s�lo pueden ser sintetizados en la presencia de ox�geno, pero pueden ser tambi�n obtenidos del medio circundante. Es m�s, la remoci�n de gas carb�nico puede ser realzado en la presencia de material s�lido del mosto, dado que el material insoluble act�a como formador de n�cleos. Sin embargo, los s�lidos del mosto pueden dificultar la filtraci�n y causar problemas de sabor. Se tesen consideraciones sobre la influencia de todos estos factores en la calidad del mosto fermentado, tanto para cerveza como para licores destilados.
Palabras claves: esteres, �cidos grasos, fermentaci�n, alcoholes de alto P.M., s�lidos, mosto

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