Mitigating the impact of environmental stress on the quality and sustainability of malting barley

Climate change is challenging our ability to reliably grow crops. This PhD will be focused on the impact this is having on our capacity to produce a sustainable supply of malted barley for use within the brewing and distilling industries. Compared to the feed and food industries, the malting industry has stringent requirements for the barley it accepts in order to meet quality specifications. The development of many of these quality parameters are currently vulnerable to increasing variability in environmental conditions (e.g., intermittent rainfall and elevated temperatures) or require the use of increasingly unsustainable agronomic practices (concerns around water resource and carbon emissions from fertilizer production). Recommended lists are updated each year with new varieties of malting barley, many of which are bred to promote ease of processing and suitable agronomic (and extract) yield. However, there is growing concern around the potential risks of anthropogenic climate change and resource availability for continued production of high-quality malting barley and malt. This project is an amazing opportunity to do novel research working alongside the industry expertise of Crisp Malt and Syngenta, companies with reach across the UK and global malting and barley industries.   The successful candidate will work closely with plant biology/malting/brewing and distilling science experts within academia and industry throughout the project with opportunities to gain valuable industry experience during site-based trials.

There has been little previous investigation into the impact that drought conditions during barley growth have on final malt properties, and there is no published research assessing the impact for use of such malt on spirit quality. This PhD will set out to identify the impact and interplay of drought stress and agronomic regime during critical stages of barley growth on quality across the whole production process of malt and spirits. To this end a combination of field experiments at Syngenta development trial sites across Europe and controlled glasshouse experiments in Edinburgh will be carried out to assess the impact of water deficit at critical stages in the crop lifecycle. Several different UK and continental type barley varieties will be analysed across multiple years and several different approaches will be taken to determine the impact on malt quality.

Grain produced from growth trials will be analysed at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD). Using flexible micromalting equipment, the research will develop mitigation processes for use within the maltings to minimise the potential impact on malt production where abiotic stress may have impacted barley quality. Further analysis of wort (e.g. sugar and amino acid profiling), fermentation (e.g. yeast health and stress), and low wines/new make spirit produced under conditions typical to the industry brewhouse/distillery will establish expected implications of stress conditions during barley growth to the malt end user. The research will identify potential impacts throughout the processing timeline on development of aroma volatiles and the consequences for abiotic stress on development of key precursors (using GC-MS, GC-FID, HPLC). Pilot-scale brewing and distilling facilities will allow for scale-up experiments under food-grade conditions to produce sensory samples for further investigation of barley varieties/processes of interest. 

Further to this, the project will explore on a molecular basis, the mechanisms by which barley responds to drought stress and the influence of these processes on final grain quality. Grain produced from the trials will be subjected to RNA-sequencing using a nanopore sequencing platform. Differential gene expression analysis will be used to identify differentially expressed genes for RNA-seq data between the drought and control treatments.  

 

Funding

This is a full scholarship which will cover tuition fees (Home and Oversees) and provide an annual stipend (£19,237 in 2024-25) for 42 months. Thereafter, candidates will be expected to pay a continuing affiliation fee (currently £130) whilst they complete writing up their thesis.

 

Eligibility

This project is open to all students, whether home, EU or overseas.

We are looking for a highly motivated, self-organized and team-oriented person who will have by the start of the project a first or upper second-class honors degree in a biologically related discipline. A 2.2 degree will be considered if the applicant has a relevant MSc that includes practical experience of direct relevance to the project. The applicant should have a strong interest in plant sciences, brewing chemistry, and molecular biology, with practical experience in at least two of these areas. Practical experience of all areas is not essential as full training will be given in areas where experience is lacking.

 

How to Apply

To apply you must complete our online application form.

Please select PhD Life Science as the programme and include the full project title, reference number and supervisor name on your application form. Ensure that all fields marked as ‘required’ are complete.

Once have entered your personal details, click submit. You will be asked to upload your supporting documents. You must complete the section marked project proposal; provide a supporting statement (1-2 A4 pages) documenting your reasons for applying to this particular project, outlining your suitability and how you would approach the project. You must also upload your CV, a copy of your degree certificate and relevant transcripts and an academic reference in the relevant section of the application form.

You must also provide proof of your ability in the English language (if English is not your mother tongue). We require an IELTS certificate showing an overall score of at least 6.5 with no component scoring less than 6.0, or a TOEFL certificate with an overall score of at least 85, including reading 20, listening 19, speaking 20 and writing 21. Alternatively, if you have received an English-taught Bachelors or Masters degree from one of the countries listed on the UK Government Guidance under ‘Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English’, and it was obtained less than two years from your intended start date, you should provide evidence of your award that clearly states it was delivered and assessed in English language.

The primary supervisor for this project is Ross Alexander. Please contact R.Alexander@hw.ac.uk for further information or an informal discussion.

The supervisory team also includes Calum Holmes, Heriot Watt University, and Industry supervisors – Kathryn Hamlen (Syngenta), David Griggs (Crisp Malting)

Please contact egis-pgr-apps@hw.ac.uk for technical support with your application.

 

Timeline

The closing date for applications is 30 April 2024 and applicants must be available to start in September 2024.