IS DME pre-boiled?

[GenIke]

or LME for that matter...

I have seen this come up a few times in threads, usually in reference to late extract additions. People say no need to boil, it was boiled in the factory or something like that. That doesnt seem right to me. Even adding at flameout I still get a hot break.

I would think that Breiss (or whoever) would mash and then dehydrate without ever boiling.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[Chattan]

I would throw the DME/LME during the boil. Be careful as it tends to boil over easily.

 

[ACbrewer]

After a quick google search I found this. http://www.briess.com/food/Processes/nstep.php under the extract and drying - extration process on the left (incase this starts at some other point)

Let me short cut it for you - this is from that page and describes the process (see step 4 - boiling)

"The first step in the production of malt extracts and grain syrups is milling or grinding the malt or grain.
The second step is mashing, which involves mixing water with the ground malt or grain, and raising the temperature to dissolve sugars, starches and enzymes. The enzymes become active and convert soluble starches to sugars. Mashing takes about three hours.
The third step is separation, where the mash is transferred to the lautertun where "spent" grains are separated from the sweet liquid.
The fourth step is boiling. The sweet liquid, which is called "wort", is transferred to the brew kettle where it is boiled.
The fifth step is clarification, which involves transferring the wort to a large tank called a whirlpool that acts like a cyclone to settle out any solid material.
The sixth step is storage, which occurs after the wort has been cooled and then transferred to a storage tank. Batches are fed into storage every four hours, and each batch has a solids content of about 14% (about the same as soda).
The seventh step is evaporation. The storage tanks continuously feed into the evaporator, which concentrates the wort to 80% solids (about the consistency of honey). The evaporator works under vacuum, which allows the wort to boil at lower temperatures, 160-100 degree Fahrenheit, which saves both time and energy. Lower temperatures also allow concentration to occur without damaging the color or flavor of the concentrated wort.
The final steps are packaging or drying then packaging. Finished malt extract or syrup flows out of the evaporator and into finished product storage tanks. From these tanks, the product will be transferred into bulk trucks, packaged for shipping or sent to the dryer to be transformed into a free flowing powder and then packaged into 50-lb bags."

So before the actaully LME is made (dme is made from lme), they boil it. They reboil at a lower temp (step 7) for the actaully concentration, but they boil at step 4. I'd guess for several reason. 1 is to kill every thing, 2 would be to force off any DMS. 3 it would allow them to generate a 'hot break' and get hot break material out. possibly other reasons.

So to answer you question. LME and DME don't need to be boiled again to be sanatized, however the outsides surfaces they touch as you empty them into your kettle might want some heat. Fortunatly the microb count will be relativly low on those surfaces, and putting the LME/DME in at flame out should be sufficent.

 

[unionrdr]

Good description of the process. DME is made by spraying a fine mist of LME into a hot vacuum environment to turn it into a hydroscopic powder. I've used plain DME in the boil for a long time now. Then adding the remaining DME & all LME at flame out as late additions has been completely safe,since the wort is still boiling hot & pasteurization happens about 162F. I very rarely get more than a thin wisp of hot break from extracts.
When all is said & done,& get good tasting,lighter colored beer that's very clear. However,I'm finding that the finer crush needed for BIAB makes the beer a bit misty & it takes a long time to settle out clear naturally. So I got some Five Star Super Moss to alleviate this misty problem come fridge time.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

[ ... 11 years later ...]
FWIW, The "internet archives" captured the article mentioned in #3 back in 2012.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120630224112/http://www.briess.com/food/Processes/nstep.php

eta: this topic is referenced by a number of topics in the 2020s that state that 'extract' doesn't have a "hot break". #4 in this topic suggests there's a 'thin wisp of hot break when DME is added at the end of the boil. Curious brewers may want to consider looking at the wort before the boil starts (say around 160 - 180F).