The malting procedure for producing pale malt entails soaking the barley in water (steeping) until it reaches a moisture content of 42–46%. Subsequently, a phase of metabolic and physiological activity ensues post-germination, culminating in kilning. Throughout kilning, the malt is subjected to progressively hotter air for drying until it attains about 5% moisture, effectively arresting metabolic activity.
Malting is precisely defined as the regulated germination of cereal grains, with the aim of instigating specific physical and biochemical changes within the grain. This alteration is then stabilized through grain drying. Essentially, malting is a controlled germination process conducted to break down starch molecules and achieve specific levels of amylolytic and proteolytic enzymes crucial for brewing.
Three crucial steps ensure the desired transformations:
Steeping: This step is imperative for facilitating efficient water absorption by the grain, elevating moisture from 12% to at least 40%.
Germination: This stage is critical for sustaining embryo growth, synthesizing enzymes, and limiting endosperm breakdown.
Kilning: To secure product stability, kilning is indispensable, involving the malt being exposed to escalating temperatures.
The malting process ensures the accrual and release of diverse malt enzymes responsible for breaking down starch (α-amylase, β-amylase, limit dextrinase, and α-glucosidase), non-starch polysaccharides in cell walls (β-glucanase and xylanases), lipids (lipase and lipoxygenase), and enzymes that break down and release proteins (endo-proteinases and exo-proteinases).
Barley Malting Process
