When: 20th March 2025 | 16:00 – 17:30 GMT
The International Barley Hub is pleased to announce the next seminar in its 2025 series, run by leading barley scientists and industry experts. This seminar will be presented by Professor Glen Fox, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor Malting & Brewing Science, University of California-Davis.
Summary:
Barley has a mix of complex proteins. For decades, the barley industry has used protein content as a surrogate measure of grain quality, and how a load of barley should perform in malting and brewing. But within the total protein content, there are 1000s of individual proteins, some of which are of little consequence in processes as they are residual proteins leftover from grain development. However, there is a small number of proteins that are critical for malting, brewing and final beer quality. Instead of total protein content, measuring the amounts of water- and alcohol-soluble protein fractions would start to provide a greater picture of protein composition. In barley, the alcohol-soluble fraction contains the major endosperm storage proteins, i.e.. the hordeins, which are targeted for hydrolysis during malting. The alcohol-soluble fraction can make up from 40% to70% of the total protein content and this is driven mostly by the growing environment and can indicate the potential malt modification and other quality traits. Further, to fully understand the mix of alcohol and water-soluble proteins is through proteomics. The ratios of the major endosperm proteins including hordeins, beta-amylase, serine proteinase inhibitor and hordoindolines can be explored and how these ratios relate to total protein content and grain quality. The data shows an opportunity for industry to advance from a method, decades old (total protein content), and use the alcohol-soluble protein fraction and modern proteomics to better understanding grain quality.
Speakers bio:
Professor Glen Fox:
Professor Glen Fox (PhD) was appointed the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Science in July 2019. Dr Fox has a MSc and PhD related to barley genetics influencing malt quality.
His areas of research are barley, malt and brewing quality where he conducted research in Australia and South Africa. His current research focus is on starch and protein structure and their interactions and those impacts on wort and beer quality. Another research interest is using a number of ‘omics platforms to understand the complex biochemical changes during malting and brewing and the final compositional profile of beer. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing& Distilling.
In 2025 he was awarded a DSc from Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
He has recent publication “Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing (2nd Ed “). He was senior editor of the book “Achieving sustainable cultivation of barley”. Dr Fox has numerous book chapters, over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and 250 conference presentations.
He is associate editor for the Master Brewers Association Technical Quarterly Journal, Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and the Journal for the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Dr Fox has also been on organizing committees for a number of national and international conferences.
Professor Fox is in charge of the undergraduate and graduate brewing programs, and Sierra Nevada Brewing research laboratory. Dr Fox has supervised 52 graduate students in Australia, South Africa and the USA. He is also Academic Director and an instructor for the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education brewing courses.