MALTO DEXRIN

[bbb]

Is Malto dextrin the same as Malt extract Or Maltose, I think its malt extract the recipe only asks for 4 OZ :wha:

The recipe is a hobgoblin clone I found somewhere on a brewing forum, Yes it does specifically ask for malto dextrin.
Just had a trawl on the web & found Youngs body brew, description is as you both said, body & mouth feel Thanks again.
Have been to Plymouth to pick up the ingredients DME & specialist grains, but look somewhere local for the Malto dextrin.

Cheers for now & good brewing, just put on a Muntons Bock. :thumb:

 

[andyakameatloaf]

No. MaltoDextrin is a type of sugar that is nonfermentable. It's used to increase the gravity and give the beer better body/head.
Malt extract is the fermentable extracted from malted barley. It's essentially ground malted barley.
Maltose is a type of fermentable sugar (Disaccharide)

All 3 are perfectly fine to put in your beer, but they will give different results, and are NOT interchangeable.
If a recipe asks for malt extract, it is asking for a fermentable, and it's probably best to use malt extract (Liquid - LME, or Dried - DME)

What's the recipe in full, and is it kit or extract?
Its not uncommon to find recipes that ask you to put both sugar and malt extract in, as they are both fermentable.

 

[oldbloke]

Additionally to Andy's comments:
"Maltodextrins are classified by DE (dextrose equivalent) and have a DE between 3 to 20. The higher the DE value, the shorter the glucose chains, the higher the sweetness, the higher the solubility" (Wiki)
So if you're after sweetening as well as improved body, you want to look for a maltodextrin with a high DE.

 

[rpt]

MaltoDextrin is a type of sugar that is nonfermentable.

I think maltodextrin is fermentable, but it depends on the yeast strain as to how well it manages it. For example, a lager yeast will do a better job than an ale yeast that is likely to only consume a proportion of it.

 

[daveb]

MaltoDextrin is a type of sugar that is nonfermentable.

I think maltodextrin is fermentable, but it depends on the yeast strain as to how well it manages it. For example, a lager yeast will do a better job than an ale yeast that is likely to only consume a proportion of it.

Technically you are correct, some lager yeasts especially of the group 'Saccharomyces pastorianus' have demonstrated a slight ability to metabolise maltodextrin.

But for all intents and purposes and as far a the average home-brewer is concerned we can assume Maltodextrin in definitely NON fermentable!

It is not very sweet either...so although it can be used to very slightly sweeten...it is usually used to add extra body to a thin beer....i have a huge tub of it...even in powder form on a spoon it is not very sweet....but it does add lots of body...of course its found in all wort so should never really be needed...unless you are making a high alcohol beer using non wort based sugars to increase alcohol..some of these beers mau be lacking in body...so a small addition of MaltoDextrin will add a lot of 'body' and much improved mouth-feel!


Here's a nice look into the technical details of yeast types and fermentation of wort....the future will no doubt see more genetic engineering to allow the already mapped yeast genomes of 'Saccharomyces cerevisiae' and 'Saccharomyces pastorianus' to be manipulated to enhance their brewing abilities!

This is a small snippet taken from the article at the beginning...this is a great read for any serious home-brewer!


''Normally, all-malt wort contains 90% carbohydrates of which the fermentable carbohydrates in order of their concentrations are: maltose, maltotriose, glucose, fructose and sucrose. Up to 25% of the carbohydrates are non-fermentable maltodextrins, and many different process optimisation
1
Chapter I: Introduction
2
strategies have been focused on targeting the maltodextrins and providing more available fermentable sugars for the brewer´s yeast''



http://orbit.dtu.dk/fedora/objects/orbi ... 40/content

 

[rpt]

Oops, I was thinking of maltotriose when I said that.

 

[Bribie]

Also don't let the name deceive you, the chemical name mentions "malt" but that's as far as it goes. It's mostly made from potatoes and other cheap starch AFAIK. Handy for improving the body and "mouthfeel" of kit beers, used in moderation.