Study of newly isolated sorghum strains and their application for beer production

Twenty yeast isolates obtained from sorghum grains were studied. Their morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics were studied. The ability of three isolates to ferment carbohydrates was evaluated by paper chromatography, and the growth capacity and fermentation activity in grape juice were determined. Biochemical identification was conducted according to Kurtzman et al. (2011). The three isolates can be assigned to the genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It was found that the three isolates do not ferment maltose. The possibility of using the three newly isolated sorghum strains for the production of sorghum beer was investigated. The beer produced with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 2.3 was characterized by a harmonious fresh taste, an intense aroma dominated by cloves and tropical fruit, and a spicy residual bitterness. The obtained results demonstrate that sorghum-isolated yeast strains are suitable for the production of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol sorghum beer.