Lupulin is a bitter-tasting substance contained in hop cones and not a specific chemical compound, but a mixture of various nitrogen-containing and non-substances, resins, fat and essential oil, as well as ash. Lupulin is formed from the secret of the glands located on the scales of the fertility ("cones") and the perianth of the female hop flowers (Humulus lupulus). Upon solidification, lupulin turns into a brown-yellow coarse-grained adhesive powder . The properties of lupulin are widely used in the brewing industry.
Composition and properties
According to Bart, 100 parts of lupulin contain: 0.18 parts of wax , 54.86 parts of resin (11.55 parts of α-resin precipitated with acetic lead and 43.31 parts of β-resin from non-settling lead), also 8, 72 parts of fat, 4.78 parts of nitrogenous substances, 2.34 parts of pentosans, 10.89 parts of nitrogen-free substances and crude fiber, 18.23 parts of ash. The lupulin content in hop cones of female hop plants ranges from 2 to 12%. Since lupulin on the leaves of the hop cone forms a plaque in the form of flour, its% determination in hops (Humulus lupulus) is usually carried out by mechanical separation of the mentioned flour and direct weighing of it. It has a yellowish color and gives the beer its yellowish-brown color and bitterness. During brewing, lupulin breaks down into two "α-alkaloids": humulin and lupulon. Humulin is then converted to isochumulin, an anti-bacterial substance with a bitter taste . Lupulon is also an antioxidant that helps beer last longer. Thermally untreated lupulin is poisonous : a dose of 1-2 g can cause mild poisoning in humans [1] .
Literature
- K. Debu. Lupulin // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
Notes
- ↑ Lupulin - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .