This is a brief assignment that asks you to apply what you have learned about protein denaturation.
When Dr. Kerwin (a faculty member in Dept of Chem & Biochem) brews beer, he takes a mixture call wort
and boils it. Wort consists of water, ground barley (or better wheat - says Dr. Kerwin), and malt - which is
partially germinated barley that has been dried in a kiln.
When the wort reaches a certain temperature, it starts to foam. If Dr. Kerwin is not careful, the foaming
wort will boil over, so he must stir this wort to keep the foam from forming a "cap" on the wort, which
traps the heat and makes the wort boil over. He also adjusts the heat to help avoid boiling over.
If you have ever boiled spaghetti or other noodles, you may have experienced the same phenomenon - it
is called a "hot break".
Dr. Kerwin thinks that the hot break has something to do with proteins in the wort (or the noodles).
In the textbox, explain what you think the proteins may be doing as the wort is being
heated. Provide a rationale for why at a certain temperature, the mixture foams, and what
it causing this foam to form.
