Barley for production of flavor-stable beverage

Abstract

According to the invention, there is provided null-LOX-1 barley and plant products produced thereof, such as malt manufactured by using barley kernels defective in synthesis of the fatty acid-converting enzyme lipoxygenase-1. Said enzyme accounts for the principal activity related to conversion of linoleic acid into 9-hydroperoxy octadecadienoic acid, a lipoxygenase pathway metabolite, which-through further enzymatic or spontaneous reactions-may lead to the appearance of trans-2-nonenal. The invention enables brewers to produce a beer devoid of detectable trans-2-nonenal-specific off flavors, even after prolonged storage of the beverage.

1 .- 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A barley plant, or a part thereof, wherein said plant or part thereof comprises less than 1% LOX-1 protein compared to a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The barley plant, or a part thereof, according to  claim 4 , wherein the gene encoding LOX-1 of said plant comprises a premature nonsense codon. 
     
     
         7 .- 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The barley plant, or a part thereof, according to  claim 4 , wherein the gene encoding LOX-1 of said plant comprises at least one mutation within a splice site. 
     
     
         10 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The plant product according to  claim 39 , wherein the plant product is a malt composition comprising a processed barley plant or part thereof, wherein said barley plant is the barley plant comprises less than 1% LOX-1 protein compared to a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The plant product according to  claim 39 , wherein the plant product is a wort composition prepared using the barley plant or part thereof comprising less than 1% LOX-1 protein compared to a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         19 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The wort composition according to  claim 18 , wherein said composition is prepared using an enzyme composition or an enzyme mixture composition. 
     
     
         22 .- 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . The plant product according to  claim 39 , wherein the plant product is a beverage having stable organoleptic qualities, wherein said beverage is obtained by manufacturing the barley plant or part thereof comprising less than 1% LOX-1 protein compared to a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         25 . The beverage according to  claim 24 , wherein said beverage is beer. 
     
     
         26 . The beverage according to  claim 24 , wherein said beverage is prepared using malt prepared from kernels of said barley plant. 
     
     
         27 . The beverage according to  claim 24 , wherein said beverage is prepared from a wort composition prepared from a barley plant or part thereof, or from a malt composition prepared from said barley plant or part thereof, wherein said barley plant comprises less than 1% of the LOX-1 activity of a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         28 . The beverage according to  claim 24 , wherein said beverage is prepared from unmalted barley plants or parts thereof. 
     
     
         29 . The beverage according to  claim 24 , wherein said beverage is a non-fermented beverage 
     
     
         30 .- 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A beverage having stable organoleptic qualities, wherein said beverage is manufactured by using a barley plant, wherein the ratio of 9,12,13-trihydroxyoctadecenoic acid to 9,10,13-trihydroxyoctadecenoic acid within said beverage is at the most 1.8. 
     
     
         33 . The beverage according to  claim 32 , wherein said beverage is prepared by fermentation of a barley plant, or parts thereof, or extracts thereof, and wherein said barley plant comprises less than 5% of the LOX-1 activity of a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         34 . The beverage according to  claim 32 , wherein said beverage is beer. 
     
     
         35 . The beverage according to  claim 21 , wherein said beverage is manufactured by using a barley plant, and wherein said beverage comprises at the most 0.05 ppb free trans-2-nonenal (T2N) after incubation at 37° C. for 4 weeks, in the presence of in the range of 4 to 6 ppm sulfite. 
     
     
         36 .- 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A plant product produced from the barley plant, or a part thereof, according to  claim 4 . 
     
     
         40 .- 41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . The plant product according to  claim 39 , wherein the plant product is a food composition, a feed composition, or a fragrance raw material composition comprising the barley plant or part thereof comprising less than 1% LOX-1 protein compared to a wild-type barley plant. 
     
     
         43 .- 45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . A method of producing a beverage having stable organoleptic qualities, said method comprising the steps of:
 (i) preparing a composition comprising a barley plant or parts thereof according to  claim 4 ;   (ii) processing the composition of (i) into a beverage;   thereby obtaining a beverage with stable organoleptic qualities.   
     
     
         47 . The method according to  claim 46 , wherein step (i) comprises preparing a malt composition from kernels of said barley plant or part thereof. 
     
     
         48 . The method according to  claim 46 , wherein the method further comprises incubation with a LOX inhibitor. 
     
     
         49 . The method according to  claim 46 , wherein processing the composition into a beverages comprises a mashing step. 
     
     
         50 .- 55 . (canceled)