FERMENTATION OF WORTS MADE FROM 100-PERCENT RAW SORGHUM AND ENZYMES

Worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes were successfully fermented even though the level of FAN present (51 mg/1) is well below that essential for fermentation of wort made from malted barley. Changes in typical fermentation parameters such as specific gravity, pH uptake of free amino nitrogen (FAN) and ammonium ions mirrored the increase in yeast cell concentration. Yeast viability remained high throughout the fermentation. Under identical fermentation conditions, malted barley worts showed typical fermentation profiles. However, malted barley worts with specific gravity maintained by the addition of D-glucose, but in which the FAN was diluted to a level similar to that found in a wort made from sorghum and enzymes, fermented more slowly and failed to attenuate fully. Five consecutive fermentations, using yeast cropped from the preceding to pitch the current fermentation were conducted. The specific gravity profiles were essentially the same in all five fermentations. Final values of pH, yeast in suspension, yeast viability and FAN were also indistinguishable. The yeast crop taken from fermentations of worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes represented a 5-fold increase over the initial pitching rate. When compared to commercial beers, the beers derived from fermentation of worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes contained lower levels of ethyl acetate, and higher levels of both 2- and 3-methyl butanol. In the beers derived from sorghum, isobutanol was always less than 20% of the total higher alcohol concentration.