The study of powdered extracts from grain raw materials by using the X-ray crystallography

Currently, there is another stage for increased interest in improving the quality and expanding the range of soft drinks and beer with the release of new titles due to the attraction of alternative types of plant materials, including technology-based ingredients and formulations – powdered malt extracts of various cereal crops – barley, buckwheat, peas, corn. X-ray diffraction experiment is one of the most accurate methods for studying the structure of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. X-ray diffractometry allows, the first, to determine the characteristic interatomic distances in matter from the position of the peaks in the diffractogram and to identify them-to estimate the given distance between atoms of different elements. Secondly, the width of the diffraction peaks can be used to estimate the degree of ordering of the structure and determine the characteristic dimensions of polymer formations. Thirdly, X-ray diffractometry makes it possible to evaluate the composition of a mixture of substances based on the comparison of diffractograms from the substances to be mixed. For the first time the comparative investigation of structural mechanical properties of powdered malt extracts with the assessment of solubility by X-ray diffraction analysis is studied. The main interatomic distances in the extracts are identified; the comparative X-ray diffraction study of the extract from peas, barley, buckwheat malt, prepared without introduction of molasses during drying were carried out. Calculation gives the following sizes of areas of coherent scattering for the extract L = 56.07?10-10 m; for the extract with molasses L = 7.470?10-10 m, in consideration with the calculated indicator of substance solubility with a characteristic size of the particles. It was found that the addition of molasses during drying allows to increase the solubility in 1.7 times. This statement is based on the comparison of the X-ray diffraction peaks of patterns and accounting of the size effect of solubility, and it was corresponded with the data on the solubility obtained by the standard method.