Behavior of Grains in the Course of the Smothering Phase of the Traditional Process of Malting of Corn (Zea mays sp.) in the Production of Lotoko, a Brandy of the Basin of Congo

In the pursuit of our work on the traditional process of malting of corn, study of smothering phase consists to appreciate the evolution of degree of softening of grains of the malt in relationship with the cell density of yeast. In the course of steeping process the humidified corn acidify oneself spontaneously (initial acidity: 0.5 ml of 0.1 N NaOH solution and final acidity: 1.2 ml of NaOH) and sustains a germination process which the stopping is assured by smothering the germinated grains. This supplementary phase of malting process unrolling in the anaerobic conditions and hot (from 35°C at 50°C) spontaneously, killing the germ of the grains, is observed at the end of germination stage. The results of the test at the water reveal a good degree of softening of the grains of malt when the corn used in the malting originates from a long period of post-harvest stocking (from 4.2 at 8 months). The cell density of population of developed yeast in the heart of grains malt of corn increases with the duration of the post-harvest stocking of corn grains of whom they originate (250x106 CFU cells of yeast by gram of dry malt for 3 months of stocking of corn in comparison with 510x106 CFU cells of yeast/gram for 8 months).