Cereal Chem. 73 (1):75-80  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Nonwheat Grains and Products

Production of Food Malt from Hull-less Barley (1).

R. S. Bhatty (2). (1) Partly included in a final report to Alberta Barley Commission, Calgary, AB. (2) Crop Development Centre, Department of Crop Science and Plant Ecology, Agriculture Bldg., University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8. Fax: (306)-966-5015. E-mail: <rsbhatty@duke.usask.ca> Accepted October 13, 1995. Copyright 1996 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Four cultivars of hull-less barley and, for comparison, two cultivars of malting barley and one cultivar of soft wheat, all having germination capacity >95%, were steeped to about 42% moisture and malted in an automatic micromalting system. Hull-less barleys had a 16-hr shorter steep time than the malting barleys or wheat and produced malts that were comparable in composition and enzyme activities (alpha-amylase, diastatic power, beta-glucanase, and proteolytic) to the malting barley malts but superior to the wheat malt. One cultivar each of hull-less barley, malting barley, and wheat, steeped to about 43% moisture, were malted in a pilot plant. Again, hull-less barley malt was, except for cultivar differences, more like malting barley malt than wheat malt in composition and enzyme activities. Nondiastatic malts having reduced enzyme activities were prepared by heating the green malt at 85°C; the heating temperature may be adjusted to prepare malts of desired color, flavor, and enzyme activities. Hull-less barley malt was milled in a flour mill to produce malted bran and flour. Hull-less barley malt and its products can be added directly to a variety of foods without the need to prepare extracts and syrups, as is the case with most brewer's and distiller's malts. However, malt extracts and syrups may be prepared from hull-less barley malt without the problem of residual hull disposal. It is proposed that hull-less barley malt be called "food malt" to distinguish it from brewer's and distiller's malts, which are prepared from select grades of malting (hulled) barleys.