Brewing beyond barley : unlocking 100% unmalted alternative cereals with enzymes
- Author
- Sem Backaert (UGent) , Pol Smout, Joren Huys (UGent) , Sylvie Vandoorne (UGent) , Elia Myncke (UGent) , Dana Vanderputten (UGent) and Jessika De Clippeleer (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- Barley malt is traditionally the cornerstone of beer production; however, recent challenges, including declining yields and quality have compelled breweries to explore alternatives. Simultaneously, consumer preferences are shifting toward more diverse, sustainable, and functional beer options. Consequently, breweries have increasingly turned their attention to alternative unmalted cereals. While unmalted brewing with barley has been extensively studied, knowledge of alternative cereals remains limited. To address this gap, mashing experiments with exogenous enzymes were conducted on 11 unmalted cereals and pseudocereals: two- and six-row barley, wheat, khorasan, spelt, einkorn, triticale, tritordeum, sorghum, buckwheat, and rye. Initial experiments were conducted to evaluate alcoholic wort production by varying critical parameters affecting wort quality, such as pH and milling size. Wort filtration efficiency was significantly enhanced by lower pH and finer milling for barley, wheat, khorasan, and spelt, whereas tritordeum, triticale, einkorn, and sorghum showed less improvement. Buckwheat and rye revealed high wort viscosities. Among triticum-related cereals, most exhibited acceptable original gravities and free amino nitrogen (FAN) contents, although einkorn was an exception, showing increased soluble high molecular weight proteins. Sugar profiling confirmed high levels of fermentable sugars across samples. Mashing with 100% unmalted alternative cereals and exogenous enzymes proved to be successful. Quality parameters and sensory analysis were conducted on the alcoholic fermented beverages produced at a 20 L scale. Notable findings included variations in beer-like flavor and color, and a high level of drinkability, highlighting the potential of this approach. These results offer valuable practical insights for brewers interested in exploring alternative unmalted cereals and exogenous enzymes, paving the way for innovation in brewing techniques and product development.
- Keywords
- Unmalted cereals and pseudocereals, alternative cereals, raw materials, wort production, mashing, exogenous enzymes, brewing technology
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01KGQ4CH5X64ZX1ZP3H4VE9VGA
- MLA
- Backaert, Sem, et al. “Brewing beyond Barley : Unlocking 100% Unmalted Alternative Cereals with Enzymes.” Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts, 2025.
- APA
- Backaert, S., Smout, P., Huys, J., Vandoorne, S., Myncke, E., Vanderputten, D., & De Clippeleer, J. (2025). Brewing beyond barley : unlocking 100% unmalted alternative cereals with enzymes. Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts. Presented at the Brewing Summit 2025, Palm Desert, CA.
- Chicago author-date
- Backaert, Sem, Pol Smout, Joren Huys, Sylvie Vandoorne, Elia Myncke, Dana Vanderputten, and Jessika De Clippeleer. 2025. “Brewing beyond Barley : Unlocking 100% Unmalted Alternative Cereals with Enzymes.” In Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Backaert, Sem, Pol Smout, Joren Huys, Sylvie Vandoorne, Elia Myncke, Dana Vanderputten, and Jessika De Clippeleer. 2025. “Brewing beyond Barley : Unlocking 100% Unmalted Alternative Cereals with Enzymes.” In Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts.
- Vancouver
- 1.Backaert S, Smout P, Huys J, Vandoorne S, Myncke E, Vanderputten D, et al. Brewing beyond barley : unlocking 100% unmalted alternative cereals with enzymes. In: Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts. 2025.
- IEEE
- [1]S. Backaert et al., “Brewing beyond barley : unlocking 100% unmalted alternative cereals with enzymes,” in Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts, Palm Desert, CA, 2025.
@inproceedings{01KGQ4CH5X64ZX1ZP3H4VE9VGA,
abstract = {{Barley malt is traditionally the cornerstone of beer production; however, recent challenges, including declining yields and quality have compelled breweries to explore alternatives. Simultaneously, consumer preferences are shifting toward more diverse, sustainable, and functional beer options. Consequently, breweries have increasingly turned their attention to alternative unmalted cereals. While unmalted brewing with barley has been extensively studied, knowledge of alternative cereals remains limited. To address this gap, mashing experiments with exogenous enzymes were conducted on 11 unmalted cereals and pseudocereals: two- and six-row barley, wheat, khorasan, spelt, einkorn, triticale, tritordeum, sorghum, buckwheat, and rye. Initial experiments were conducted to evaluate alcoholic wort production by varying critical parameters affecting wort quality, such as pH and milling size. Wort filtration efficiency was significantly enhanced by lower pH and finer milling for barley, wheat, khorasan, and spelt, whereas tritordeum, triticale, einkorn, and sorghum showed less improvement. Buckwheat and rye revealed high wort viscosities. Among triticum-related cereals, most exhibited acceptable original gravities and free amino nitrogen (FAN) contents, although einkorn was an exception, showing increased soluble high molecular weight proteins. Sugar profiling confirmed high levels of fermentable sugars across samples. Mashing with 100% unmalted alternative cereals and exogenous enzymes proved to be successful. Quality parameters and sensory analysis were conducted on the alcoholic fermented beverages produced at a 20 L scale. Notable findings included variations in beer-like flavor and color, and a high level of drinkability, highlighting the potential of this approach. These results offer valuable practical insights for brewers interested in exploring alternative unmalted cereals and exogenous enzymes, paving the way for innovation in brewing techniques and product development.}},
author = {{Backaert, Sem and Smout, Pol and Huys, Joren and Vandoorne, Sylvie and Myncke, Elia and Vanderputten, Dana and De Clippeleer, Jessika}},
booktitle = {{Brewing Summit 2025, Abstracts}},
keywords = {{Unmalted cereals and pseudocereals,alternative cereals,raw materials,wort production,mashing,exogenous enzymes,brewing technology}},
language = {{eng}},
location = {{Palm Desert, CA}},
title = {{Brewing beyond barley : unlocking 100% unmalted alternative cereals with enzymes}},
year = {{2025}},
}