Ginger root as a source of a-Amylase enzyme ???

[Husker]

From the parent site under Preparing_Wash / Grains / Mashing, I found this about ginger root (and even mentions bannana peels!!!). Has anyone in the forums tried doing this?

Raoul suggests that root ginger is a source of amalayse, decreasing fermentation times down from 15 to 3-4 days ...

Try 1/8 tsp of fresh ginger root and 1/2 tablet of Beano with every gallon of whole corn and 8-10 pounds of sugar you use. I then dilute to 1.090sg (about 4 1/2 USGallons) and chuck in 1 oz of Fleischmanns ActiveDry, RapidRise or breadmachine yeast. After 3-4 days it is at 0.992sg and it has stayed above 95 degF. The ginger is a really cheap source of alpha-amylase and the Beano seems to act as a catalyst. No need to boil the wash either.

A reliable source of a-amylase enzymes is ginger and I believe the inside white part of a banana skin. Also it is present in saliva but I don't like the idea of spitting into my wash. It replaces the function of 6-row barley or malting the corn. To prepare the ginger, add 1 cup of cold water (40deg F) and the ginger root into a blender and get it as fine as possible.

You can also use the mash 2-3 times or so I have been told. Some old timers in the woods here report up to 5-6 times. This suggests that they do not have an efficient starch conversion but they didn't use ginger either.

Use a paint strainer (or a stocking leg) as a bag to hold your grain. This solves the straining issue.

[gw1228]

I am a rookie at this but when I tried the ginger and beano I couldnt make it work.

[pintoshine]

This is intriguing. I never heard of ginger as a source of amylase but I have a rather large list of things I don't know.
I have successfully used a wild version of the black mold aspergillus niger and sucrose as a source of really potent amylase, pectinase and citric acid, but this is new to me.

[mtnwalker2]

My mother has a bed of ginger, about 10 by 20' that is now about 60 years old continious. I would appreciate hearing more of its potential before I visit her next month. Her plants are almost 6 1/2 feet tall and healthy.

also, how to prepare and preserve them for later use?

[Uncle Remus]

yes ginger does have the ensymes to convert the starch. I've used it with corn a couple times. It does the job but ginger is strong and gives your whiskey a different flavour, not a bad one but not one I reallly like in whiskey. I prefer using malt, and lately amylase powders.

[junkyard dawg]

I've tried it too, couldn't really say how much it contributed to starch conversion, but it did taste pretty funny. Might make a tasty drink somehow, but not so good in whiskey...

[mtnwalker2]

Thanks Guys,

I really don't like the flavor of Ginger either- a left over from cheap fruit cakes hand down- present to present, when I was a kid.

I will take your advice and forego this ginger root experiance.

Thanks for the warnings!

[Husker]

Thanks for the warning. I guess I would only try ginger if making a neutral, or making some flavored drink which would be complenented from the "off" flavoring of the ginger.

The reason I posted, was it just struck me as strange (as does the bannana peel "whites").

H.

[mtnwalker2]

Husker,

Who knows, a creme de ginger might make you famous and rich? Or a creme de bannana pith?

[hornedrhodent]

="Husker"
it just struck me as strange (as does the bannana peel "whites").

H.

Tell us about them - I remember smoking the strings of banana peels as a teenager - no effect - no 'mellow yellow'.

[GrooTheWanderer]

Home brew shops are now very common, and even if you dont have one near by, you can order a-amylase enzymes off of the internet.

A 1.5 oz (~43 grams) bag should only cost about $4.00 + SH. You only need ~3 grams for a 5-gallon batch, so that one small bag is enough to do 14, 5-gallon batches, or in other words, it's costing you 9.3 cents per 5-gallon batch.

I'm all for cutting costs, but at some point, you're just being cheap, while paying an additional price in terms of both efficiency, not to mention the increased risk of unintended, unnecessary, and unwanted cogeners.

[Dnderhead]

""I'm all for cutting costs, but at some point, you're just being cheap""
the guys like to experiment,next will be rocks....

[HolyBear]

Rocks??? Hmmm that gives me an idea... oh wait, MR already has...

[Koanmi]

Trying to use ginger to make rice beer or wine. How would I do that? I tried to make the moldy jasmine rice but now it stinks I didn't add the yeast...

just the ginger. It smells bad.

Going back to using grapes to capture some fresh yeast.

Untill I get this rice sake down.

Also I used raw rice. It Must be raw as my diet is largely raw vegan...

[MichiganCornhusker]

Ginger might convert, but it's not yeast.
Two different goals.
But ginger is tasty.

[Koanmi]

Ginger might convert, but it's not yeast.
Two different goals.
But ginger is tasty.

Where is the recipe for that?