Cereal Chem 38:170 - 177.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

The Control of Fungi During the Malting of Wheat.

J. R. Fleming, J. A. Johnson, and B. S. Miller. Copyright 1961 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Low levels of formaldehyde or 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate completely inhibited growth of fungi on wheat during malting. Mercuric chloride, methylmercuricyandiamide, and o-phenylphenate (Dowicide) also were effective for control of fungi. Tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone, n-propyl vanillate, 2-thiobarbituric acid, thiourea, n-trichloromethylthiotetrahydrophthalimide, and several other substances were more effective than potassium permanganate and the hypochlorites. It is likely that many of these chemicals cannot be used in malting because of their toxicity to animals and humans. Formaldehyde used in 0.05% concentration in the steep liquor during the last 1 to 6 hours of the steeping period completely controlled growth of fungi during germination. The amount of formaldehyde retained in the finished malt was as little as 0.003 p.p.m. This amount of formaldehyde did not inhibit yeast fermentation and would probably be insignificant so far as human consumption of bread is concerned.