Evaluación de malta de maíz (Zea mays var. Zhima) como sustituto parcial de malta de cebada en la elaboración de cerveza artesanal

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate Zhima corn (Zea mays var. Zhima) as a partial replacement of barley malt (Hordeum vulgare) in the production of craft beer and its effect on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of the treatments. Four treatments were evaluated, including the control, consisting of 100% Pilsner-type barley malt, while treatments T2, T3, and T4 used 25%, 50%, and 75% Zhima corn malt as a replacement in the total amount of grains, respectively. A total of 40 untrained judges evaluated the sensory aspects of the samples without knowing the variable between treatments, they rated the control beer as the best in all aspects except for the beer color parameter, in which T3 was considered the preferred one. Samples of the treatments were also sent to the MSV food laboratory to obtain physicochemical and microbiological analyses of the resulting beers, in which all aspects were similar except for alcohol content, in which the control and T2 had 5 °GL, while T3 and T4 were recorded 3 °GL and <3 °GL. Finally, a market research study was conducted in the city of Cuenca, where, through a sample population, the interest of citizens in purchasing a craft beer brewed partially with Zhima corn was determined, as well as prices willing to pay, previous knowledge of the market and personal tastes in beer.

Keywords: Beer, zhima corn, barley, fermentation