Publication
Title
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) as a tool to detect -hydrophobin structures and study the primary gushing potential of beer
Author
Abstract
When weather conditions are damp, barley crops can be infected by fungi that produce amphiphilic proteins called hydrophobins. We postulated that these hydrophobins contaminate CO2 bubbles during beer carbonation or shaking. These molecules prevent the dissolution or redissolution of CO2 and, thus, stabilize CO2 bubbles. These bubbles contain energy (overpressure) that is released when the beverage container is opened, causing the simultaneous nucleation of many bubbles, which leads to primary gushing. In this paper, we present validation of our hypothesis and show that dynamic light scattering (DLS) can be used as a tool to study the primary gushing phenomenon. The results indicate that both hydrophobins and CO2 are necessary to induce gushing. Indeed, addition of a crude mycelium extract containing hydrophobin HFBI to different beverages such as beer, soda, and sparkling water led to gushing, whereas addition to still mineral water did not. Comparison of a commercial gushing and nongushing beer using DLS revealed the presence of particles with a diameter of approx. 100 nm in the gushing beer. According to our hypothesis, these 100-nm particles should be nanobubbles stabilized by hydrophobin assemblages. The presence of these particles was also observed in all gushing beverages obtained after addition of the hydrophobin-containing mycelium extract.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists. - St. Paul, Minn
Publication
St. Paul, Minn : 2011
ISSN
0361-0470
DOI
10.1094/ASBCJ-2011-0524-01
Volume/pages
69 :3 (2011) , p. 144-149
ISI
000293986000005
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 25.03.2015
Last edited 24.01.2023
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