Contemporary approaches to the possibility of intensifying the process of beer wort mashing. Patent analysis

The article provides patent review of modern research in the sphere of brewery, particularly, regarding possibilities of intensifying the process of malt mashing. The process of brewing is characterized by its time duration and demand to process conditions, regarding the necessity of occurrence of profound physical-and-chemical, biochemical and other processes. Malt, as the main raw material for producing beer, is not only is a source of extractive substances, but also a source of ferments, under effect of which the insoluble substances of the malt as well as of unmalted materials (starch, proteins, etc.) get transferred to the solution. Activity of various ferments depends on temperature, and they require a certain period of time for completing the goals set. This conditions the necessity of taking temperature pauses: acid, protein, conversion to sugar, and mesh-out pauses, which make the process of mashing to be longer. Compliance with all given pauses effects the quality of produced beer, however, it increases time of finished product preparation and therefore makes it more expensive. Analysis of patents on contemporary research in the sphere of brewing showed that the process of beer wort mashing can be intensified. The technology change techniques are mostly targeted at enhancement of efficiency of healthful components' extraction out of malt and unmalted raw material through destruction of intermolecular bonds of carbohydrate components of grain raw material by various forms of treatment: thermal treatment with steam in a field of acoustic oscillations, with electromagnetic emission energy, with liquid gas, and with super-high frequency pasteurization. Activation of the process of malt mashing can also be obtained by modification of brewing process with additional equipment (extrusion press, rotor-pulse apparatus with specific, experimentally determined working parameters) or by injecting enzyme preparations, textured flour, finely-dispersed velvet powder and other components into the wort.