Improvement of material utilization in sake Moromi brewing by addition of cell wall macerating enzymes - note

From the viewpoint of improving the utilization of available rice materials , the effects of plant cell wall macerating enzymes - such as those that de grade cellulose, xylan, and pectin - on parallel fermentation in sake brewi ng were examined. Addition of various commercial crude enzymes improved bot h material utilization and alcohol yield. A crude enzyme solution was prepa red from a submerged culture of sake koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae, with wh eat bran as a carbon source. When the alpha -amylase, glucoamylase, acid pr otease, and acid carboxypeptidase were eliminated from the crude enzyme sol ution through anion-exchange chromatography, the solution obtained containe d high levels of cellulose-, xylan-, and pectin-degrading enzyme activities . The greatest improvements in both alcohol fermentation and material utili zation were obtained through addition of this enzyme solution, suggesting t hat these enzymes could further improve parallel fermentation in the brewin g.