°Lintner
Encyclopedia
°Lintner or degrees Lintner is a unit used to measure the ability of a malt
to reduce starch
to sugar
, that is, its diastatic power
. While the measurement is applicable to any amylase
, in general it refers to the combined α-amylase and β-amylase used in brewing
. The term is also generalized to diastatic malt extracts and separately-prepared brewing enzymes. The abbreviation °L is official, but in brewing applications it may conflict with °L used for degrees Lovibond.
JECFA, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
, defines the degree Lintner as follows:
Note that the amylases used in brewing reach their peak efficiencies around 66 °C.
Evaluation of a malt or extract is usually done by the manufacturer rather than by the end-user; as a rule of thumb, the total grain bill
of a mash should have a diastatic power of at least 40 °L in order to guarantee efficient conversion of all the starches in the mash to sugars.
The most-active barley
malts currently available have a diastatic activity of up to 160 °Lintner.
In Europe, diastatic activity is often stated in Windisch-Kolbach units (°WK). These are related approximately to °Lintner by:
.
100.0 °Lintner equals 3.014 × 10−7 katal
or 18.08 enzyme unit
s.
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
to reduce starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
to sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, that is, its diastatic power
Mashing
In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture...
. While the measurement is applicable to any amylase
Amylase
Amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of starch into sugars. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Food that contains much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns...
, in general it refers to the combined α-amylase and β-amylase used in brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
. The term is also generalized to diastatic malt extracts and separately-prepared brewing enzymes. The abbreviation °L is official, but in brewing applications it may conflict with °L used for degrees Lovibond.
JECFA, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives is a scientific expert committee that is jointly run by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization....
, defines the degree Lintner as follows:
- A malt has a diastatic power of 100 °L if 0.1ccCubic metreThe cubic metre is the SI derived unit of volume. It is the volume of a cube with edges one metre in length. An alternative name, which allowed a different usage with metric prefixes, was the stère...
of a clear 5% infusion of the malt, acting on 100cc of a 2% starchStarchStarch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
solution at 20°C for one hourHourThe hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
, produces sufficient reducing sugars to reduce completely 5cc of Fehling's solutionFehling's solutionFehling's solution is a chemical test used to differentiate between water-soluble aldehyde and ketone functional groups, and as a test for monosaccharides. The test was developed by German chemist Hermann von Fehling in 1849.-Laboratory preparation:...
.
Note that the amylases used in brewing reach their peak efficiencies around 66 °C.
Evaluation of a malt or extract is usually done by the manufacturer rather than by the end-user; as a rule of thumb, the total grain bill
Mash ingredients
Mash ingredients, mash bill, or grain bill are those materials used in brewing from which a wort can be obtained for fermenting into alcohol...
of a mash should have a diastatic power of at least 40 °L in order to guarantee efficient conversion of all the starches in the mash to sugars.
The most-active barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
malts currently available have a diastatic activity of up to 160 °Lintner.
In Europe, diastatic activity is often stated in Windisch-Kolbach units (°WK). These are related approximately to °Lintner by:
.100.0 °Lintner equals 3.014 × 10−7 katal
Katal
The katal is the SI unit of catalytic activity. It is a derived SI unit for expressing quantity values of catalytic activity of enzymes and other catalysts. Its use is recommended by the General Conference on Weights and Measures and other international organizations. It replaces the non-SI enzyme...
or 18.08 enzyme unit
Enzyme unit
The enzyme unit is a unit for the amount of a particular enzyme.One U is defined as the amount of the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 1 micro mole of substrate per minute...
s.
External links
- "Malt Carbohydrase", JECFA, 1971. Gives definitions and procedures for measuring diastatic activity.