Abstract
The seed from the Araucaria araucana (in Spanish, piñon) tree, native to Chile and Argentina, is sold mainly as raw seed. Engineering a process to add value to piñon has the potential to positively impact local indigenous communities with very little ecological impact because it is routinely harvested in the wild. This study evaluated the feasibility of using 100% piñon, or as a blend with barley malt, to produce a beer-like beverage, while also evaluating consumer acceptance of the beverage’s piñon characteristics. Prototypes generated based on 93% piñon and 7% oat (enzymatic treatment of α-amylase, glucoamylase, protease and β-glucanase), as well as 50% piñon and 50% barley (no external enzymatic treatment), were evaluated. Overall acceptability by a consumer acceptance panel (21 consumers) rated the 100% piñon and the piñon–barley malt blend 5/9 and 7/9, respectively. The piñon–barley malt blend prototype stood out for its low level of carbohydrates, high potassium content and banana and clove aromas.
Highlights
Preliminary fermentation studies were performed in 4 L reactors for the purpose of verifying the feasibility of the yeast consuming the sugars generated with enzymatic treatment in the mash
As the concentration of starch remained constant and not all the present starch was transformed before the glucoamylase enzyme was added, it was inferred that this could have been product inhibition produced by the α-amylase enzyme
The alcoholic beverage produced from piñon alone has modest potential for consumer acceptability
Summary
331 microbreweries in Chile [3] This growth suggests that there is market for new craft beer and new beer-like products. Koch (in Spanish, piñon), known as the monkey-puzzle tree, is a native and ancestral seed that only grows in Chile and Argentina. It is a species of high conservation value. It was declared a national monument by CITES The international trade of products derived from piñon is not subject to prohibition. The production yield of piñon is 197 kg/ha and 455 kg/ha in Chile and Argentina, respectively [9,10].
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