What’s the difference between a Amylase and a brewer’s yeast?
In this article, we will analyse in detail the concept, working principle, function and difference of saccharification enzyme and wine quartet, as well as how to use them in practical applications.
I. What is Amylase?
Amylase is an enzyme that can break down complex carbohydrates (such as starch) into simple sugars (such as glucose, maltose). This enzyme is widely used in the food, alcohol and sugar industries and is an important catalyst in the sugar conversion process.
The main types of saccharolytic enzymes include α-amylase, β-amylase and glucoamylase. Each type of enzyme works in a different way, but the common goal is to break down starch into sugar molecules through hydrolysis. Below are a few of the main categories of glycolytic enzymes:
α-Amylase (α-Amylase): α-Amylase cuts the α-1,4 glycosidic bond in the starch molecule and breaks down long-chain starch into smaller sugar molecules, such as dextrin and maltose. It acts faster and remains active at higher temperatures, so it is commonly used in areas such as beer brewing and pastry making.
β-Amylase: β-Amylase is able to break the α-1,4 glycosidic bond at the end of starch to produce maltose. β-Amylase usually acts at low temperatures, so during the saccharification process in beer brewing, β-Amylase starts to act first to provide maltose to the yeast for fermentation.
Glucoamylase: Glucoamylase breaks down all the α-1,4 and α-1,6 glycosidic bonds in starch into glucose, and is a crucial enzyme in the alcoholic fermentation process.
Secondly, what is sake brewer’s yeast?
Wine yeast (mother of wine) is a fermenting agent in the production of fermented foods (especially alcohol). It is a complex substance made up of a mixture of microorganisms, usually containing moulds, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. The main function of the wine mash is to convert starch into sugar and further ferment the sugar into alcohol by yeast. Jiuquan is one of the core ingredients in the traditional Chinese brewing processes of baijiu, huangjiu and rice wine.
Types of wine quartz can be classified into different categories according to different uses and production processes, such as large quartz, small quartz, red quartz, and so on. Each type of sake brew has a unique mechanism of action in the brewing process. The following are the common types of wine quarts:
Daqu: Daqu is the most commonly used fermentation agent in the brewing of Chinese liquor, usually made from wheat, peas and other raw materials. It is rich in moulds, yeasts and bacteria, and is capable of fermenting at high temperatures, making it suitable for making high-temperature wines.
Small Quarts: Small quarts are made at lower temperatures and are usually used for low-temperature fermented liquors such as yellow wine and rice wine. The enzyme system contained in the small varietal is milder, making it suitable for a softer fermentation process.
Red Currant: Produced through fermentation by the red currant mould, red currant contains a large number of enzymes and pigments and is commonly used in the brewing of yellow wine. It is also widely used in foodstuffs such as rice wine and cooking wine.
The main difference between saccharification enzyme and wine quatrain
Although both saccharolytic enzymes and wine quarts can promote the fermentation process, they are significantly different in the following aspects:
Ingredients and composition:
Saccharase It is a pure enzyme preparation, usually a single enzyme or a mixture of enzymes. It converts starch into sugar by chemical catalysis and contains no microorganisms.
Wine must, on the other hand, is a complex fermentation agent containing a variety of microorganisms, including not only saccharase, but also yeast and other beneficial bacteria. The fermentation process of wine must is not only saccharification, but also includes alcoholic fermentation by yeast.
Function and action:
The main function of the enzyme saccharase is to break down starch into sugar, and it has a single function, focusing on the saccharification process.
Brewer’s yeasts are capable of further fermenting sugars into alcohol in addition to saccharification, forming a complex fermentation system.
Fields of application:
Saccharolytic enzymes are widely used in various food processing industries, such as sugar production, beer brewing and food preservation. In these applications, saccharases are used as specialised catalysts to optimise the sugar production process.
Jiuquan Mainly used in traditional alcohol brewing, such as yellow wine, white wine and rice wine. In these fermentation processes, the wine currant is not only responsible for saccharification, but also for the production of alcohol through yeast fermentation.
Usage:
The enzyme saccharase is usually added separately as an enzyme in industrial production, and the amount added can be precisely controlled according to requirements.
Brewer’s yeast, on the other hand, acts as a fermentation agent throughout the brewing process and is usually added in the form of cubes or powders. The fermentation of wine must is a relatively slow and complex process, which is strongly influenced by environmental conditions.
Application of saccharification enzymes and brewing yeasts in winemaking
The role of saccharification enzymes and brewing yeast in brewing is different, but they are often used in combination to ensure an efficient fermentation process.
Application of saccharase in beer brewing:
During the beer brewing process, the starch in the malt needs to be first saccharified to maltose for yeast fermentation. This is where saccharification enzymes play a key role. Glycolytic enzymes commonly used in beer brewing are α-amylase and β-amylase, which are responsible for breaking down the starch in malt to produce maltose. Yeast then ferments the maltose into alcohol.
The application of wine quartz in traditional baijiu brewing:
In the brewing process of traditional Chinese white wine, wine quartz is the core of fermentation. Fermented at high temperatures, the macrocysts first convert the starch in the grain into sugars through the production of saccharase enzymes by the moulds in them. Then, yeast further ferments these sugars into alcohol. Wine malt contains a wide range of microorganisms, which results in the production of complex aroma and flavour substances in white wine during the fermentation process.
The application of wine currants in the brewing of yellow wine and rice wine:
Small and red varieties play a vital role in the brewing of yellow and rice wines. They are fermented in a mild environment to produce alcohol by both saccharification and fermentation. Due to low enzyme activity, this fermentation process is usually mild and produces relatively low alcohol.
V. Interaction between saccharification enzymes and brewing songs
Saccharification enzymes and wine songs cooperate with each other in some brewing processes to improve the fermentation efficiency. In some industrial production, saccharification enzyme as an additive with the use of wine, can accelerate the process of starch saccharification, improve the efficiency of fermentation.
Industrial white wine production: In the industrial production of modern white wine, saccharase is often added to the fermentation process to improve the efficiency of starch conversion, thus shortening the fermentation time and increasing the yield.
Yellow and rice wine production: In yellow and rice wine production, in order to control the balance between saccharification and fermentation, producers sometimes use saccharification enzymes to supplement the natural saccharification capacity of the wines to ensure that the alcoholic fermentation and saccharification processes are carried out in parallel.
Future development of saccharification enzymes and brewing songs
As technology advances, the applications of saccharases and wine maltings are expanding, and significant progress has been made in improving them through biotechnological means.
Precise customisation of saccharases: With the development of genetic engineering, scientists can design and optimise different types of saccharases to work better under specific conditions and according to specific production needs.
Optimisation of microorganisms in wine mash: Microbial populations in wine mash have been researched for many years to achieve targeted control of different flavoured wines. By screening and cultivating different microbial communities, the fermentation effect and alcohol yield of wines and grapes have been further improved.
As two important components in the brewing industry, saccharification enzymes and wine malt liquor, they play irreplaceable roles in the saccharification and fermentation processes, respectively. Saccharase focuses on the conversion of starch into sugar, whereas wine malt liquor is used to further ferment sugar into alcohol through an integrated microbial system.
why is alpha amylase used for ndf testing?
Alpha-amylase is used in Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) testing to break down starch in plant materials. Starch can interfere with the accurate measurement of fiber content, as it is a non-fiber carbohydrate that is often present alongside fibers in feed samples.
Here’s why alpha-amylase is important in NDF testing:
Removal of starch: Starch is not part of the fiber fraction, but it can inflate the NDF values if not removed. Alpha-amylase digests the starch, allowing for a more accurate measurement of the fiber content.
Improved accuracy of fiber analysis: By breaking down the starch, alpha-amylase ensures that the NDF analysis focuses solely on the plant’s cell wall components, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are the true fibers.
Enhancement of reproducibility: Using alpha-amylase in NDF testing standardizes the process, leading to more reliable and reproducible results across different samples and laboratories.
Overall, the addition of alpha-amylase is essential to obtaining an accurate and representative measurement of the fiber content in feed samples during NDF analysis.
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| Compound Glucoamylase | 9032-08-0 |
| Pullulanase | 9075-68-7 |
| Xylanase | 37278-89-0 |
| Cellulase | 9012-54-8 |
| Naringinase | 9068-31-9 |
| β-Amylase | 9000-91-3 |
| Glucose oxidase | 9001-37-0 |
| alpha-Amylase | 9000-90-2 |
| Pectinase | 9032-75-1 |
| Peroxidase | 9003-99-0 |
| Lipase | 9001-62-1 |
| Catalase | 9001-05-2 |
| TANNASE | 9025-71-2 |
| Elastase | 39445-21-1 |
| Urease | 9002-13-5 |
| DEXTRANASE | 9025-70-1 |
| L-Lactic dehydrogenase | 9001-60-9 |
| Dehydrogenase malate | 9001-64-3 |
| Cholesterol oxidase | 9028-76-6 |