Multi-Response Optimization of the Malting Process of an Italian Landrace of Rye (Secale cereale L.) Using Response Surface Methodology and Desirability Function Coupled with Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

Rye is used in some applications in the food and beverage industry and for the preparation of functional foods. It is an interesting raw material in malting and brewing due to its characteristic contribution to the beer’s color, turbidity, foam and aroma. The aim of this work was to optimize the micro-malting process of a rye landrace. The response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to study the influence of three malting parameters (germination time, germination temperature and degree of steeping) on the quality traits of malted rye. Long germination times at high temperatures resulted in an increase in the extract and Kolbach index. The model for the apparent attenuation limit showed a particular pattern, whereby time and temperature inversely influenced the response. The lowest viscosities were determined in the worts produced from highly modified malts. Optimization of the variables under study was achieved by means of a desirability function and a genetic algorithm. The two methodologies provided similar results. The best combination of parameters to optimize the malting process on the rye landrace under study was achieved at 6 days, 12 °C and 44 g/100 g.

The Impact of Rye and Barley Malt and Different Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Beer Volatilome

“…Rye is a crop characteristic of mountain areas, where this study was carried out, and is uncommonly tolerant to cool climates and less fertile soil conditions, often growing where wheat cannot be grown. In order to develop a local product and overcome technical problems arising from the high amount of arabinoxylan in rye [10,11], the rye-barley grist recipe was formulated with 55% of rye malt together with 45% of barley malt. All beers were Amber-style ale.…”

“…In modern brewing, rye enters the grist of some beer styles like Belgian Pale Ale [8], Saison, and Specialty India Pale Ale (Rye IPA), conferring a spicy and pungent aroma to complete the barley taste [9]. Despite a renewed interest in the application of rye grain and malt in brewing being registered in the past decade [10], because of the several challenges to brewers, it is often only moderately used in beer making (10-30%). Limited information is available on the malting of rye and brewing performance of rye varieties.…”

“…Limited information is available on the malting of rye and brewing performance of rye varieties. Therefore, scientific investigation on brewing with rye malt is actually a very active sector of interest [10,11].…”

Breeding cereal rye (Secale cereale) for quality traits

“…Rye grain is not hulled and generally has higher lipids, darker color, and higher α‐amylase than barley grain (Miller, 2019; Pomeranz et al., 1973). Micro‐malting conditions for different rye varieties have been established for the local craft beer markets (Calvi et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2018). In malting rye, levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) and other mycotoxins, from Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection, have been shown to increase during malting (Jin et al., 2018).…”

Combined Effect of Bioactive Compound Enrichment Using Rosa damascena Distillation Side Streams and an Optimized Osmotic Treatment on the Stability of Frozen Oyster Mushrooms

“…Using RSM principles, appropriate mathematical models are constructed and statistically assessed to investigate the relationship between process parameters and responses of interest, aiming at determining optimum conditions [49]. The final stage of this methodology may consist of the simultaneous optimization of different, even conflicting criteria, mathematically described by appropriate desirability functions [50]. In the present study, the main aim of the optimization of OD process was to produce a final mushroom piece of intermediate moisture, which, when submitted to subsequent frozen storage, would preserve its quality characteristics (color, texture, drip loss) even after thawing.…”