Malt extract concentration

Liquid malt extracts are produced by the aqueous extraction of sugars from malted barley with their subsequent concentration into a viscous syrup. A wide range of applications exist for malt extracts such as malted beverages, brewing, home brewing, bread making, cereal production etc., and as such, a wide range of malt extracts with specific character and or function have been developed by malt processors.

The choice of technology is a critical part of optimizing the production of malt extract and the concentration step by evaporation is one of the most critical steps.
 
Concentration of malt extract

The Centritherm® evaporator is an excellent choice for the concentration of malt extract due to its ability to process highly viscous concentrates (>80º brix in the case of malt extract) while preserving the products characteristics and functionality. For example the extremely low thermal impact of the Centritherm evaporator can be critical when producing diastatic malt extracts where the naturally occurring enzymes in the original malt must be preserved so that the end user can make use of the enzyme activity to convert starches to sugars from other materials.

In non-diastatic malt extracts where the malt is generally providing a valuable source of fermentable sugars, malty flavour and a natural colour, the Centritherm evaporator is an excellent choice of evaporator. The reason for this is that with only one second heat contact time on the evaporator surface and low temperatures of 45-50 degC, it can concentrate without imparting unwanted cooked or burnt notes. This is unlike what may result from conventional evaporators where residence time on the heated evaporation surface is much longer and evaporation temperatures are higher.  

Benefits of the Centritherm evaporator for the concentration of malt extracts include:

• Minimum thermal impact to preserve character and functionality
• Higher viscosities possible than conventional evaporators
• No damage to the natural colour 
• Low hold-up volume means it is ideal for concentrating small batches
• High concentration ratios (10 to 80º brix can be possible in a single pass)
• Easily cleaned with built-in CIP

Aroma Recovery Using Spinning Cone Column

Where the aroma of a malt extract is a critical component for a given application the combination of Spinning Cone Column (SCC) technology and Centritherm evaporator provides the very highest quality possible. The SCC can recover important volatile compounds directly from the malt extract prior to concentration as a concentrated aqueous aroma. These aroma compounds would normally be lost during evaporation. The de-aromatised extract leaving the SCC can then be concentrated on the Centritherm evaporator as described above and the aroma added back to produce a concentrate that contains all of the desirable character of the original low brix extract.  

Benefits of the SCC for the concentration of malt extracts include:

• Fast and efficient recovery of sensitive aroma compounds
• No damage to the natural colour of extract 
• Can be integrated with Centritherm evaporator if desirable
• Easily cleaned with built-in CIP

A range of Centritherm evaporator models are available for batch or continuous processing.

Click here to find out more about the Centritherm® evaporator.