Márcia Monks Jantzen

Adjuncts used for beer production: Features and applications

Among the raw materials used for beer production, barley malt is the most widely used to provide the necessary carbohydrates to yeasts during fermentation, in which alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced. Must supplementation with adjuncts is recommended to correct properties that were not reached but this should not affect beer quality. Thus, the aim of this review is to present the main raw materials used to replace barley malt. Cereals and starchy materials can be used as starchy adjuncts, such as corn gritz , rice, wheat. Another group of adjuncts, known as sugary adjuncts, also has wide applications. They do not need to suffer enzymatic hydrolysis, because their sugars are readily fermentable. The adjuncts, in general, are used to decrease production costs since they allow the use of reduced energy during processing. Key words: beer, adjuncts, fermentation.