Method and apparatus for producing beer with functional sugars and polyphenols using a non-isothermal saccharification process

Craft beer production process enhanced with functional sugars and polyphenols using two-stage temperature saccharification including malt husks

This technology involves a beer brewing method and apparatus that grinds germinated grains mixed with bran and stalks, creates a mash using complex cellulase at 40–50°C, performs secondary saccharification with amylase at 60–90°C to obtain wort, and then ferments it with yeast. It sequentially saccharifies the fiber of the malt husks and the starch of the grain kernels in two temperature-controlled stages, incorporating both into a single wort.

The domestic beer market has been dominated by light lagers from large corporations, but the shift to volume-based taxation and the legalization of contract manufacturing have raised expectations for craft beer diversity. However, conventional mashing and filtration processes only saccharify malt starch and discard the husks as waste, failing to capture the functional sugars and polyphenols found in malt husks and making it difficult to create distinct flavors.

This technology reduces the need for external enzymes by flushing ground grains with 60°C water before primary saccharification to extract the grain's own amylase for use in the second stage. It also controls residual lignin levels through extraction time and temperature while gelatinizing the grist via ethanol-assisted heat treatment. Both saccharification stages can be performed sequentially in a single reactor, making it easy to integrate into existing brewery equipment. Additionally, separately extracted lignin can be added to the wort before fermentation to boost polyphenol content. Applicable to craft brewpubs, functional/low-sugar beer developers, and malt beverage production lines, this allows for the launch of high-value products featuring functional sugars and antioxidants derived from malt husks in a market saturated with lagers.

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Key Features:

• A step of preparing a mash by mixing ground germinated whole grains containing bran and stalks with water and complex cellulase, followed by primary saccharification at 40°C–50°C
• A step of adding amylase to the mash and performing a secondary saccharification process at a second temperature of 60°C–90°C to produce wort
• A step of supplying 60°C hot water to the ground grains before primary saccharification to extract amylase for use in the secondary saccharification
• A filter unit that controls the residual lignin amount by regulating the supply time of an ethanol extraction solution and the heat treatment temperature while gelatinizing the ground grains

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