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A theoretical framework for β-glucan degradation during barley malting

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Abstract

During malting, barley germinates and produces hydrolytic enzymes that de-structure the endosperm, making the grains soft and friable. This process starts close to the embryo and spreads throughout the whole grain. It is leaded by the degradation of cell walls, which are mainly constituted of β-glucans. Fast and extended breakdown of β-glucans occurs by means of an expanding reaction front driven by β-glucanase, and appears to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. Endosperm permeabilization to macromolecules is closely linked to the dismantling of cell walls, thus that access to β-glucans by β-glucanase itself is limited. It is shown that the kinetics of β-glucan degradation during malting are consequent to this condition, and can be explained according to an anomalous evolution of the reverse quasi-steady-state approximation (rQSSA) for enzymatic reactions. In fact, kinetics based on the rQSSA include a transient phase wherein fast substrate depletion is indeed of pseudo-first-order. In the germinating barley, the conditions in which the physical modification of the endosperm occurs are shown to be suitable for the fast transient to persist in dynamic equilibrium while it progressively expands throughout the grain, depleting most β-glucans and, then, establishing the overall kinetics of β-glucan breakdown.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Prof. Luca Espen for providing access to the microtome, and Renzo Alberici for assistance in the image editing. This work has been supported by the project “Qua.Si.Cer.” of the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

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  1. C.R.A., Genomic and Postgenomic Research Centre, via S. Protaso 302, 29017, Fiorenzuola D’Arda (PC), Italy

    Alberto Gianinetti

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Gianinetti, A. A theoretical framework for β-glucan degradation during barley malting. Theory Biosci. 128, 97–108 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12064-008-0055-7

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