user 22118
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
- Messages
- 2,023
- Reaction score
- 13
Yeast likes nitrogen, does anyone have any idea what kind of nitrogen is in wort prior to fermentation?
Yeah mostly amino acids but also some di- and tri- peptides (2 or 3 amino acids joined together) ammonia and urea will be taken up in the beginning. These make up FAN (the measurment brewers and maltsters use). Some protein may be hydrolyzed by exogenous enzymes when or if these become depleted. FAN originates in malting, during the germination phase when endoproteinases hydrolyze the starch storage proteins (namely hordein) which gives you the ability to get a decent extract but also releases your amino acids etc. Some may also occur during mashing. Generally unless you want to use majority rice or maize then you won't have a problem with low FAN and problems may arise more from trying to increase it...
Kudos on the specifics! What does FAN stand for, free amino nitrogen?
Enter your email address to join: