ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

The saccharification process and its effect on amylase activity

I. Štein

Research Inst. Food Ind., Bratislava

Abstract: The enzymic hydrolysis of concd. starch solns. such as in distillery mashes does not follow the unimol. equation. After more than half of the starch is converted into maltose, the rate of reaction gradually slows down and stops after reaching the decompn. limit of starch irrespective of temp. For this reason the diastatic values of enzymic prepns. as detd. by present methods do not supply data of real industrial value. The activity of amylase increases during the hydrolysis, probably as a result of physicochem. changes, during which the prosthetic group of the enzyme eliminates some of the accompanying ballast material. Thus purified amylase is able to convert dextrins into maltose in the presence of living yeast. A high saccharification temp. decreases the activity of amylase in the mash, but increases its resistance during the time between yeast inoculation and adequate propagation. The activity of amylase is decreased by yeast.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 45-6a225.pdf (in Slovak)

Chemical Papers 4 (5-6) 225–268 (1950)