WATER HARDNESS AS AN IMPORTANT PARAMETER OF PH

Abstract

Quality of final product is to great extent influenced by intermediate products that are formed during beer production. In addition quality of pH is one of the most important properties that forms suitable medium for activity of enzymes complexes that have crucial influence on character of produced wort. Moreover enzymes influence the yield of production process and quality of final product as well. Quality of boiling water and especially its hardness have crucial task in terms of keeping optimal qualitative parameters. Water hardness is given by amount of salts, mainly calcium and magnesium salts. It is expressed as absolute hardness which is given by sum of temporary (carbonate) and permanent (noncarbonate) hardness. In our work we solved the effect of total water hardness on final pH of various intermediate products. We used different water samples and we prepared variants of total hardness by stirring of unpurified water with distilled water thus we achieved various values of hardness. For comparison we prepared several brews with regard to combinations of unpurified water and distilled water. Higher pH of boiling water was caused due to higher water alkalinity that negatively affected enzyme complex present in used malt. Presence of hydrogenphosphates in used malt had high buffering ability and pH lowering ability. Such unfavorable result could be adjust by use of various additions of acidulates that would have in great extent influence on beer final price therefore boiling water adjustment seems to be the most acceptable approach.