Amylase Enzyme for Adjunct Brewing Mash Conversion
Supplement malt enzymes with industrial amylase to achieve complete starch conversion from corn, rice, or sorghum adjuncts — improving extract yield and wort fermentability.
Adjunct brewing — using unmalted grains such as corn grits, rice, or sorghum alongside malted barley — is standard practice in large-scale lager and ale production. These adjuncts provide fermentable extract at lower cost than malt, but they arrive with little or no endogenous enzyme activity of their own. When adjunct levels exceed 20–30% of the grist, malt enzyme levels can become insufficient to fully convert the total starch load, leaving residual starch that impairs filtration, reduces fermentable extract yield, and creates haze stability problems in finished beer.
Amylase enzyme for brewing adjunct mashing addresses this directly. Adding exogenous amylase enzyme alongside malt enzymes in the mash provides additional alpha-amylase activity to liquefy adjunct starch and contribute to overall dextrin breakdown, and additional beta-amylase equivalent support through saccharification temperature steps. This allows brewers to push adjunct ratios higher — up to 40–50% in some industrial lager systems — without sacrificing conversion efficiency, wort flow, or fermentable sugar profile.
Our amylase for brewing is supplied as Aspergillus oryzae (active at pH 5.2–5.8, 60–70°C, suited for standard mash temperature programmes) and Bacillus subtilis (active at pH 5.2–6.2, extending to 80–90°C for adjunct cooker steps). In a typical adjunct mash regime, the cereal cooker reaches 90–95°C to gelatinise the adjunct starch; amylase enzyme (0.5–1.5 kg/t adjunct grist) is added at this stage to begin liquefaction before the combined mash is mixed with the main malt mash at 63–68°C for saccharification. The mash rest at 63–68°C then allows full conversion of both malt and adjunct starches.
For brewing procurement teams, key considerations are enzyme compatibility with mash pH and temperature programme, lot-to-lot activity consistency, and documentation for food-grade use. We supply COA, TDS, and food-grade certification per lot. MOQ is 25 kg, with bulk pricing for commercial breweries.
Corn Grits Adjunct Mashing
Corn grits are gelatinised in a cereal cooker at 90–100°C with 0.5–1.0 kg/t amylase added to begin starch hydrolysis and reduce viscosity before mash mixing. After cooker hold (15–20 min at 95°C), the liquefied adjunct is mashed-in with the malt portion at 63–68°C. This prevents the adjunct from diluting malt enzyme activity below the threshold needed for complete conversion, particularly important when corn comprises 30–50% of total grist.
Rice Adjunct Mashing
Rice starch gelatinises at 68–78°C, requiring a high-temperature cooker step before mash-in. Amylase enzyme at 0.8–1.5 kg/t rice is added to the rice slurry in the cooker to begin viscosity reduction. The liquefied rice is then combined with malt in the mash tun at 63–66°C. Rice-adjunct beers benefit from amylase supplementation to maintain consistently fermentable wort, particularly when rice exceeds 20% of grist and malt enzyme load is at its practical limit.
Sorghum Beer Production
Sorghum-based opaque beers and lagers in African markets often use 100% sorghum grist, with no malt enzymes to rely on. Exogenous amylase (alpha and beta blend) is essential for starch conversion in these all-sorghum mashes. Operating at pH 5.0–5.5 and 55–65°C during the saccharification rest, amylase converts sorghum starch into a fermentable wort. Dosage is 1.5–3.0 kg/t grist depending on adjunct composition and target fermentable extract.
High-Adjunct Industrial Lager
Large-scale industrial lager production with 40–50% adjunct (corn or rice) uses exogenous amylase to supplement malt enzymes throughout the mash. This enables consistent extract yield, stable fermentation performance, and predictable FAN (free amino nitrogen) levels even as grist composition varies with crop season. Liquid amylase is preferred for inline injection into the mash tun or kettle, with dosage metered by process control systems calibrated to activity per mL.
| Parameter | Value |
| Activity range | 10,000 – 100,000 U/g (multiple grades) |
| Optimal pH | 5.0 – 6.2 (mash range) |
| Optimal temperature | 60°C – 90°C (grade dependent) |
| Form | Light yellow to brown powder or liquid |
| Shelf life | 12 months (sealed, cool, dry place) |
| Packaging | 25 kg fiber drums / 30 kg jerricans |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much amylase enzyme should I add for adjunct mashing?
Dosage for adjunct mashing is typically 0.5–1.5 kg per tonne of adjunct grist (corn, rice) added to the cereal cooker, and up to 3.0 kg/t for all-sorghum mashes without malt. In combined malt-adjunct systems, lower doses (0.3–0.8 kg/t total grist) added at mash-in may be sufficient when malt provides background amylase activity. The optimal dosage depends on adjunct percentage, malt enzyme level, mash temperature programme, and target fermentable extract. Trial brew evaluation is recommended before commercial deployment.
Which amylase grade is best — Aspergillus or Bacillus?
For mash saccharification at 62–68°C and pH 5.2–5.5, Aspergillus oryzae–derived amylase performs well and is active across the saccharification temperature range. For adjunct cooker steps at 80–95°C, the Bacillus subtilis–derived thermostable grade is essential, as fungal amylase loses activity rapidly above 70°C. Many adjunct breweries use both: Bacillus grade in the cereal cooker and Aspergillus or Bacillus standard grade at mash-in. Contact us for grade recommendations based on your mash temperature programme.
Will exogenous amylase affect beer flavour or haze?
When dosed correctly, exogenous amylase improves conversion completeness, which reduces residual dextrin and ungelatinised starch — both of which can contribute to chill haze and filtration difficulties. Amylase does not generate off-flavour compounds. The key is avoiding overdosing that produces excessive short-chain dextrins, which can affect beer body. Used at the recommended dosage for your grist composition, amylase supplementation improves wort quality without negative sensory impact.
Can I use amylase with other exogenous brewing enzymes?
Yes. Exogenous amylase is frequently combined with glucoamylase (for ultra-light beer fermentability), pullulanase (for debranching), beta-glucanase (for barley or oat mashes), and protease (for improved FAN). These enzyme combinations are compatible in the mash and can be dosed separately or as a pre-blended mash enzyme cocktail. We can supply amylase for your existing enzyme programme or advise on a combined enzyme strategy for your specific grist composition.
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Tell us your application (baking, brewing, syrup, feed, textile, biofuel), substrate type, and target pH/temperature window. We'll recommend the right grade (alpha vs beta, Aspergillus vs Bacillus), send a free 100 g sample with COA, and quote bulk pricing within 24 hours.
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