Few Q's in one, regarding Amylase and Malted barley.

[Dave]

First off, why is Amylase enzyme so expensive in the UK? In USA, Amazon has it at $12.89 for a pound bag, which is £9.69!! I had to pay £2.25 for 25grams, approx 1 ounce, which works out at over £40 a pound!!
My next Q is, how much Amylase do I need to do the job? As in, will one teaspoonful do the job of two teaspoons, but take longer?
Next Q...How do I work out how much malted barley to use to do the same job, and, is it a cheaper route?
I realise there are other factors involved regarding quantities, etc, but I'll be working on a max of 5 gallons at a time, maybe less, so it'll probably be helpful to think in terms of 1 gallon, maybe, and then just multiply the quantities accordingly.
Thanks guys
Dave

[Benoit]

Try this page mate, lots of useful info to help you calculate. http://homedistiller.org/grain/yield/planning
I've never used enzymes but I think amount will very much depend on purity, liquid enzyme seems to do better than powder from what I've read and there will be a cut off point in terms of a minimum amount as the enzymes active site will denature after X amount of uses. That X could be anything & is dependent on temperature, acidity, where it was sourced from etc etc Like anything biological, some were destined to live to be 100 & some die at 40....too many variables!

[Squint]

Pintoshine (Sherman Owen ) sells and ships worldwide, Liquid Enzymes,

https://enzymash.biz/index.php?route=pr ... ry&path=33

No, I'm not on a commission.

[gaza the instructor]

Thanks Squint.
Heat tolerant is loads over here.
Use to make my Vodka.

[Easydrinker]

Holy sugar lumps Batman! Relatively new members seem to know more than me about stuff!

Which Amylase are you meaning here Dave? Alpha or Beta?
I just stole the following from somewhere on the web.
Thanks and sorry guys,I am using it here as an illustritive.

Alpha-amylase is found in saliva. As soon as you eat starch, your saliva glands secrete this enzyme into your mouth. In fact, even the thought or smell of food can cause you to salivate. Alpha-amylase in saliva digests starch into pairs of glucose molecules, which are smaller, sweeter sugars. That's why starchy carbohydrates taste sweeter the longer they are in your mouth.
Alpha-Amylase from the Pancreas

Starches encounter alpha-amylase again when they reach the small intestine on their way through the digestive tract. The alpha-amylase is made by the pancreas and is secreted into the small intestine to finish digesting starches into pairs of glucose. These pairs are split into free glucose by another enzyme, and the glucose is absorbed by the small intestine to be used for energy.
Beta-Amylase

Although alpha-amylase is the only amylase used by humans, there is another version called beta-amylase, used by bacteria, molds and yeast. It breaks down starch so that those organisms can use it for energy. Beta-amylase is also found in plant seeds. It is what causes fruit to ripen and sweeten by breaking down fruit starches into smaller sugars.

Sorry, 'tis late and I am tired.
Will try harder the morrow.
Hah!

Robert.

[gaza the instructor]

It is £1-70 per 4g to buy the heat tolerant
Alpha. Thats loads of money.
Easydrinker talked of flaked wheat to boil
then simmer for 30mins, this is the starch
converter.

[Icefever]

What about this...https://www.home-brew-hopshop.co.uk/enz ... -1742.html

At the dose quoted you should get around 12 washes??? all for £5.95.

[gaza the instructor]

Thanks Icefever, but I don't think that
one is the heat tolerant one.
Further up this post is a link to an
american supplier, bought a large bottle.
Need the heat one to do my short mini
mash on the vodka washes.
Used some flaked wheat got by the"wallpaper
paste" stage of boil using large pan and
more water.
Do you think 2.5kg per 25ltr wash will
give me the flavour i'm looking for.

[Dave]

Holy sugar lumps Batman! Relatively new members seem to know more than me about stuff!

Which Amylase are you meaning here Dave? Alpha or Beta?

Robert.

This one Robert....
https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Brew-F9- ... ds=amylase

[gaza the instructor]

Be careful Dave, a lot of Alpha's
are not heat tolerant so boiling
makes them ineffective.

[Dave]

@gaza......if I can get it that price, keeping the temp down wont be a problem, eh? It sounds like it'll do the job....
I'm investigating international shipping costs/getarounds.....

[gaza the instructor]

I have to use the HT one. Am buying
Flaked wheat @ £8 per 25Kg, without
the HT Alpha it just doesn't work.
The wheat clumps together like
glue about 70C, boil and add Ht in
a large pan all OK. just hoping
2.5KG is enough to get some flavour.

[Easydrinker]

My take on this, being a little more corpus mentis than last night is that that optimum temp. for Amylase alpha is around 65.5 °C.
And for the beta version is around 55°C.


Robert.

[Mash]

That's not my understanding.

The temperature ranges are..
Beta amylase 60 - 65c
Alpha 60 - 75c

Beta amylase is the fella we are interested in 'cos it produces fermentables not flavour & body.

[Easydrinker]

I suggest that if you are really concerned about this then go ask Google and take a consensus of results.
I just have, and came away with Amylase Alpha between 64 and 72 °C.
And Beta 54 and 65 °C.
Not a million miles from my previous post

Robert.

Oh, and Ph levels will have a bearing on this too...