Malting is the process which converts grain starches into sugars. Enzymes in the malted grain will also act on the starches in unmalted grains and roots.
Malts are used around the world in making foods and drinks. In the industrialized regions of the world, malt made from barley is by far the most important, but malts are or have been made from wheat, rye, oats, triticale, maize, sorghum, various millets and even rice.
The purpose of malting is to activate the endogenous phytohormones and enzymes of the barley to make it more amenable to starch extraction, which is further facilitated by milling.
The first step in malting is to soak the grain in water. Soaking take at least 24 hours until grains are soft to the core and easily crushed. The water need to be changed whenever it starts to smell foul to avoid fermentation.
Within the 19th century, on some Scandinavia farms, grain was steeped by alternately immersing partly filled sacks in stream and draining, or by soaking in small wooden troughs.
The grain was allowed to sprout, in a sack or in a trough, and was finally kiln-dried over a stove or in ‘dry’ bath house.
In modern day continuous malting, daily batches of steeped grain are placed at one end of the malting floor or box. To make room, previous portion are moved in series in such a way, that when germination of a batch is complete, it is close to the kiln. In United States, this form of semi-continuous working system are using a 10 storey tower, standing 230 feet high.
Process of malting
