The elements that have popularized food enzymes trends in the breweries are growing count of active breweries pushing forward this business. The higher count of microbreweries and obligation to compete with big manufacturers by reducing cost has surged brewing food enzymes industry applications and its revenue. Extensive product launches in low-alcohol and alcohol-free segment owing to a growing trend towards a healthy lifestyle is propelling the market expansion. Higher demand for flavored and gluten-free beer along with penetration of renowned companies in alcohol-free segments will swift the demand over the forecast period.

What are food enzymes?

All living cells produce enzymes which are the natural catalysts for chemical responses. Their function as food enzymes has been acknowledged for many centuries as well. Even before the fundamental understanding about food enzymes, they were used in several procedures such as tenderizing meat using papaya leaves, preparing soy sauce, making curd or cheese, cooking, brewing, etc. Food enzymes can be obtained from any living organism from animals to plants to microbial sources. Of the hundred or so enzymes used in plants, more than half are obtained from microbes. Microbial food enzymes have been widely used in the food industry to improve food diversity, variety, and quality.

Food enzymes for brewery

Brewing is one of the world's major beverage sectors, particularly in the west. The use of food enzymes is one of the primary pillars of the brewing industry, and the climate is either endogenous in the kernel itself or added from external sources, profound knowledge and study of these enzymes are compulsory for better manufacturing and greater performance.

Food enzymes used in the brewing industry are varied in their action and characteristics. The primary enzymes used in the beer brewing sector can be split into four primary procedures: germination, mashing, fermentation, and clarification. In the present era and at the peak of enzyme technology, other enzymes were used in the brewing industry to attain and retain optimum beer quality during processing, storage, and transportation. Brewing in modern days cannot proceed without the use of enzymes. The enzymes are biological catalysts that catalyze the biochemical and molecular response needed to maintain and produce many food products.

3 ways in which enzymes are playing a huge role in the brewery industry

1. Enzymes to improve fermentation

Small fermentation modifications can be accomplished by adding amyloglucosidase alone or in conjunction with debranching enzymes at mashing-in or a fungal α-amylase at the beginning of fermentation. To describe the extent to which the extracted sugars are fermentable, brewers define the degree of amplification associated with the degree of fermentation of fermentability. Beer types with high attenuation ("light beer" or "low-calorie beer") are most frequently generated using amyloglucosidase alone. Extended mashing at 63° C and elevated dosages of enzymes are essential to generate exceptionally high attenuated beer. Fungal α-amylases are primarily used to generate maltose and dextrins, while amyloglucosidase generates glucose from linear and branched dextrins.

2. Commercial enzymes from exogenous sources

Barley malt is the traditional source of enzymes, which is used to convert cereals into beer. When the lowest enzyme activity is visible in the mash, there will be several undesirable consequences: the extract yield will be too low; the wort separation will take too long; the fermentation process will be too slow; too little alcohol will be produced; the beer filtration rate will be reduced, and the beer's flavor and stability will be lower. To avoid these issues, exogenous enzymes are used to supplement the malt's enzymes. Moreover, food enzymes can also be used to guarantee better adjunct liquefaction, to shorten beer maturation, to generate low-carbohydrate beer ('light beer'), and to create beer from cheaper raw materials.

3. Enzymes at work

Quality and supply limitations on malt and the doubling of malt prices have provided additional interest in food enzyme solutions. Many breweries have run programs over the past two years to boost effectiveness and optimize the use of raw materials, and many of them have concentrated on food enzymes to shorten manufacturing time, boost ability, and enable the use of alternative raw materials to malt. The three key examples are:

• Exchanging portion of malt with barley has been prevalent because using barley in conjunction with food enzymes provides the same quality of beer as malt.

• The introduction of a higher content of starch hydrolyzing enzymes offers the possibility of creating "light beer" also called "low-calorie beer".

• The food enzyme solution for diacetyl control after fermentation increases the use of the vessel, saves energy and guarantees high beer quality after a lower maturation time.

What do we expect to see a few years from now?

The food enzymes market has gained huge traction within the beverage industry, especially in breweries. The latest generation of brewing food enzymes is helping brewers generate different taste experiences. The search for taste development leads to the use of many exotic, locally manufactured brewing products, including maize, sorghum, rice, and cassava. You can use a wider range of grains to improve flavor and distinguish on taste by adding small amounts of brewing food enzymes to your grain bill. The customers are prepared to experiment with fresh tastes, flavors, and sensations. Now, the industry can do the same with brewing food enzymes.