US: Food scientists show rice malt has the potential to play a bigger role in beer

Published 2024년 3월 30일

Tridge summary

Recent research led by the University of Arkansas, as published in the journal Beverages, explores the viability of using malted rice in beer brewing, highlighting its potential as a sustainable and gluten-free alternative to traditional barley due to climate change and international conflicts. The study, which examined 19 U.S. rice varieties, found that malted rice, particularly long-grain types, can produce the necessary fermentable sugars for brewing without extra enzymes or nitrogen. Additionally, malted rice has been found to have lower gelatinization temperatures and higher protein levels (7% to 10.5%), comparable to malted barley in some cultivars, offering economic benefits for farmers with chalky rice and providing a more locally sourced grain option for Southern U.S. brewers. This research not only opens up new avenues for using rice in brewing but also suggests its potential as an alternative protein source in foods, with further investigations planned into the sensory qualities of beers produced from various rice malts.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Rice is showing potential to play a more prominent role in beer brewing, and it helps that Arkansas produces a lot of it.Arkansas grows about half of the rice in the United States, mostly long-grain. Meanwhile, climate change and international conflicts are leading to a shortage of the raw materials traditionally used for brewing beer, especially barley.A new study titled "Investigating the Malting Suitability and Brewing Quality of Different Rice Cultivars," published in February in the journal Beverages, suggests the potential for malted rice to yield robust fermentations in gluten-free, all-malt beer and also in styles that use high adjunct inclusions. An adjunct is an additional source of sugar for beer fermentation.Rice and corn have been used as an adjunct grain by American brewers since the 1860s. But the rice has been milled white rice, and not malted. Since the malting qualities of U.S. rice cultivars had not yet been evaluated for brewing qualities, one goal of the study ...

Source: Phys