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Melanoidins for the increased perception of "mouthfeel"?

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Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
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Both de Clerck and Hough have stated that melanoidins contribute to the perception of greater mouthfeel. (wherein de Clerck more specifically referred to it as "molleux", which translates via 'Google Translate' to "softness")

https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1989.tb04650.x

DeClcrck,J.CoursdeBrasserie,UniversitydeLouvain—InstitutAgronomique,SectiondeBrasserie,Heverlee-Louvain,1962.
Hough,J.S.,Briggs,D.E.,Stevens,R.&Young,T.W.MaltingandBrewingScience,ChapmanandHall,London,1982.

I had never given thought to melanoidins as mouthfeel enhancers, so this needs some additional research as well as trials. I presume melanoidin malt is called as such due to providing for a fair contribution of melanoidins. And I'm aware that many tout melanoidin malt as a means to achieve some of the character (mouthfeel included?) of decoction mashing when single infusion mashing.
 
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Much of what I'm reading in the older peer reviewed stuff indicates that dextrins don't do much of anything with respect to enhancing mouthfeel until they reach 50g/L. One document said 53g/L.

Scott Janish brewed a beer with 50% Carapils malt in the grist, and sent it to a lab which measured its dextrin level at 41.3g/L. He said it gave him no sensation of improved mouthfeel.
 
I presume melanoidin malt is called as such due to providing for a fair contribution of melanoidins.

I believe that is indeed the reason it's called melanoidin malt. But I think that's unfortunate in a way, because there's nothing really special about it. Lot's of malts (all of them actually) contain melanoidins, to varying degrees, some more than, some less than melanoidin malt.
 
Melanoidins are fairly large molecules and like dextrins aren't metabolized by the body like their simpler components. Perhaps these shared traits are the reason for the mouthfeel description.
 
I believe that is indeed the reason it's called melanoidin malt. But I think that's unfortunate in a way, because there's nothing really special about it. Lot's of malts (all of them actually) contain melanoidins, to varying degrees, some more than, some less than melanoidin malt.


I would say Munich malts would have more, which is why more large commercial professionals use a **** ton of it.
 
If melanoidins in general are acidic, that may be one ballpark means of quantifying their presence for malts that are kilned, and are other than caramel/crystal or deep roasted. I know that the malt known as Melanoidin Malt is fairly acidic.
 
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