Cereal Chem 72:533-538  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Malting Characteristics of Sorghum Cultivars.

T. Beta, L. W. Rooney, and R. D. Waniska. Copyright 1995 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Malting properties were investigated for 16 sorghums using a germinator method and for six sorghums using a jar method. Density of caryopses decreased for all sorghums after malting. Dry matter losses ranged from 8 to 19%. alpha-Amylase activity determined by colorimetric assay ranged from 25 to 183 U/g, with two cultivars having activity levels similar to that of a commercial barley malt. Reduction in pasting viscosity was significantly correlated with alpha-amylase activity. Sorghum diastatic power (SDU) was positively correlated to alpha-amylase activity in cultivars with SDU values greater than 30. beta-Amylase activity was low, ranging from 11 to 41 U/g. The jar malting method yielded malts with lower dry matter losses and low levels of alpha- amylase and beta-amylase activity, except for one cultivar. To obtain the highest levels of enzyme activity with the lowest dry matter losses, malting conditions need to be controlled and optimized.