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ASBC Program

Session: Posters: Brewing I

P-15 - Ancestral Use of Ash in Red Sorghum Malting as an Effective Tool to Prevent Polyphenol-related Enzymatic Inhibition During Mashing

Wednesday, August 13, 2025
4:30pm - 5:15pm PDT
Location: Sinatra Ballroom Foyer
Malted red sorghum is a key ingredient in many traditional beers, such as Ikigage in Rwanda. In some East African countries, sorghum malting includes the addition of wood ashes. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of using ashes during red sorghum malting and mashing. Malting with 5 % eucalyptus ashes significantly improves EBC congress wort yield (64-69 % compared to 15-22 % without ash). Similar yields can be achieved by using only 20 % sorghum malted with ashes or by adding ashes just before mashing. Adjusting wort pH to 6.5 only partially replicates the effect of ashes. Analysis of total polyphenols, total flavanoids, flavan-3-ols by HPLC-UV, and ORAC antioxidant activity revealed that the primary benefit of ashes comes from a 63-76 % reduction in sorghum polyphenols.