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Amylase is derived from barley malt. The enzyme accelerates the breakdown of two components of starch and complex carbohydrates at alpha 1,4-linkages to form maltose and glucose sugars. Carbs are essentially grain starches. In the mash tun, any starch absorbs increasing amounts of water (hydrates) and gradually expands as the temperature increases from cold to warm to hot. Between 158 and 176°F (70 and 80°C) barley starch forms a viscous paste as it gelatinizes. Starches are more susceptible to enzymatic conversion after they have gelatinized. Starches begin to thin out above 165°F (80°C), at which point they can leach unconverted into the wort, eventually causing a high finishing gravity and chill haze in the finished beer. Amylase Enzyme increases efficiency and reduces conversion time by rapidly reducing insoluble and soluble starch by splitting starch molecules of malted barley and adjuncts into many partially-fermentable dextrins and maltose. Given a long enough "rest," the amylase can dismantle all the dextrin's to maltose, glucose, and small, branched limit dextrins. |
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