Congratulations Susane Trevisan!

My project: High-gravity brewing, a sustainable method where a higher malt-to-water ratio is utilized during mashing, has been utilized globally by major brewing industries. However, higher sugar concentrations in the mash can raise starch gelatinization temperatures, especially for small starch granules, hindering their hydrolysis by amylolytic enzymes and reducing starch-to-sugar conversion. In my PhD project, I will study how commercially important Canadian barley varieties and harvest year affect starch granule size distribution, starch composition, and gelatinization temperatures. I will also investigate how sugars varying in molecular weight shift gelatinization temperatures of small and large starch granules across different malt-to-water ratios, as well as the stability of amylolytic enzymes during normal and high-gravity mashing. The results of my research will help guide Canadian farmers to make informed decisions when selecting varieties for increased competitiveness in national and international markets.