Optimizing red sorghum malt quality when Bacillus subtilis is used during steeping to control mold growth

Previous work having shown that Bacillus-subtilis-S499-based biocontrol treatments applied without aeration at the steeping stage of red sorghum malting offered good mould reduction but yielded malts with low levels of key hydrolytic enzymes, we attempted to raise these levels by aerating the steeping liquor, varying the steeping time (from 8 to 40 h) and temperature (from 25 to 35°C), and combining a biocontrol treatment with prior steeping in 0.2% NaOH. Aeration proved particularly important whenever B. subtilis cells were present in the steep liquor. The optimal temperatures for α- and β-amylase were 30 and 25°C, respectively. By increasing the steeping time it was possible to improve the α-amylase activity, but the -amylase activity peaked sharply between 16 and 20 h, depending on the steeping medium. A good compromise was steeping in biocontrol medium for 14 to 16 h at 30°C. Combination steeping treatments (0.2% NaOH for 8 h followed by biocontrol for 8 h) yielded malts of a quality approaching that afforded by dilute alkaline treatment.