ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to review the critical role of intrinsic enzymes associated with malt and yeast and extrinsic or supplemented enzymes in the production of European beer. European beer production is divided into four main and sequential operations: malting, mashing, addition of hops and pitching or yeast fermentation. Three of these operations are based in the conversion of substrates by enzymes provided by malt and yeast. Brewing adjuncts are feedstocks rich in carbohydrates that do not provide significant levels of enzymes. However, these are converted to fermentable sugars and dextrins during mashing in the presence of diastatic malt. Yeast plays an essential role in beer production because it is responsible for transforming the wort into beer. Malting is aimed at production of an array of enzymes critical for mashing and the rest for the brewing steps. Many other enzymes with different functionalities have been proposed in brewing operations. These include α-acetolactate decarboxylase, tanninases, phosphatases oxidases, transglycosylases and glucosidases.
