EVALUATION OF FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SIX YEAST STRAINS

Abstract

Brewer's wort contains the sugars; fructose, glucose, maltose, maltotriose and sucrose, together with dextrin and other malt solids. The objective of this study was to investigate the fermentation characteristics and sugar consumption using six yeast strains: LCC125, LCC1208, LCC1209, LCC1240, SMA and Strain A. Model wort was developed using malt extract and peptone with the addition of sugars to resemble a typical wort. Fermentation properties were determined for each strain by utilizing a spectrophotometer to measure turbidity and a digital density meter to measure wort density at specific time intervals during fermentation. Samples were taken during the fermentations and analyzed via HPLC to determine sugar profiles. From the results it was decided that flocculation significantly affects metabolism of yeast cells during fermentation. Additionally, there were significant differences among the six strains on fermentation performance, especially with LCC 1208 and 1209.