15 - Malting and brewing with gluten-free cereals

Abstract

The search for new gluten-free brewing materials is still in its infancy. Limited studies are opening a new area of brewing and once process conditions are adjusted to accommodate gluten-free raw materials. The production of satisfactory gluten-free beers and products will be more realistic and should lead to a greater variety of products for people with celiac disease. Currently only sorghum, millet, and buckwheat appear to be successful gluten-free beer ingredients, while others have only shown adjunct possibilities. Initial research on sorghum was not to find gluten-free alternatives but was in response to the 1988 ban on importation of barley malt into Nigeria. While acceptable to a large proportion of beer drinkers in Africa, the taste and flavor of sorghum beer may not be acceptable to countries outside this region. Further extensive research work is necessary to develop products that meet the tastes and consumer habits of the industrialized countries. A detailed analysis of the ingredient list of some of those so-called gluten-free beers shows that a small percentage of malt was included in the recipes and this contamination would certainly not be suitable for patients with celiac disease. Results collected so far indicate that buckwheat beer shows the most promise as a gluten-free alternative to sorghum beer. Thorough marketing efforts are needed to increase the knowledge and popularity of these cereals and pseudocereals, as at present only a small percentage of the population is familiar with or consumes these cereals. Successful commercial exploitation of these materials is tightly bound to the aspects reported above.