Enzyme inhibition by polyphenols of sorghum grain and malt

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Abstract
Enzyme production and activity in malt produced from birdproof sorghum cultivars were unaffected by the endogenous polyphenols present in the testa and nucellar layer of the grain. When the rigid segregation of tissues and substances in the malt grain is disrupted by milling, the polyphenols inhibit the endogenous enzymes in aqueous suspensions and reduce the brewing value of the ground malt. Sorghum beer made from malt of birdproof cultivars did not taste bitter. Bird‐proof sorghum cultivars differ widely in content and quality of polyphenols inhibiting enzymes. Enzymatic methods are proposed to determine the inhibiting fractions of the polyphenols in sorghum grain. The results of these methods correlate well with DMF‐extractable polyphenols assayed by ferric ammonium citrate in alkaline medium. The merits of enzymatic and chemical methods to determine biologically active polyphenols are discussed. Suggestions to protect the brewing industry against unsuitable grain sorghum cultivars of the birdproof class are made.