Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

W98

PERSPECTIVES ON CEREAL RESEARCH FOR BREWING

Anheuser-Busch Company, 1101 Wyoming Street, St. Louis, MO 63118

In the brewing process, malting barley and adjuncts (rice and corn) impacts the final beer product in two general ways. The direct ways include off-flavor components from rancidity or mold and husks for filtration. The indirect ways are the biochemical processes that ultimately provide nitrogen for yeast growth, sugars for fermentation, non-fermentable sugars for body, proteins for foam stability and flavor components. For plant scientists the processes which results in a glass of beer are some of the most fundamental biological processes. These relate directly to kernel development and germination. It is the ability to control the enzymatic processes during malting and mashing that result in the food stuffs for yeast fermentation. Understanding, not only the primary processes of protein and carbohydrate hydrolysis, but also the crop growing conditions, malting parameters and mashing parameters which impact those enzymatic processes are critical to cereal improvement and brewing efficiency. Trait expression combines environmental and genetic factors. Understanding the genetic control of these enzymatic processes will benefit cereal development directly, but also using the genetic tools available will assist in understanding the processes themselves.