Editing Malt

{{Short description|Germinated cereal grains that have been dried}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Grünmalz.jpg|thumb|A handful of malted barley, the white sprouts visible]]
[[File:Malzsorten.jpg|thumb|Beer malt varieties from [[Bamberg]], Germany]]

'''Malt''' is any [[cereal]] [[grain]] that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "[[malting]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=''How to brew manually'' by John Palmer |url=http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter3.html |access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Quality Factors for Malting, Brewing and other End-uses |publisher=Oregon State University |url=http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/css/330/five/BarleyOverview.htm#BarleyMaltingQuality |access-date=13 April 2007 |archive-date=4 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004195239/http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/css/330/five/BarleyOverview.htm#BarleyMaltingQuality |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What is malting? |url=http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12.html |access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f--1V1ftgtsC&pg=PT116 |title=Kirk-Othmer Food and Feed Technology |publisher=Wiley-Interscience |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-470-17448-7 |location=New York |pages=116–120 |access-date=7 July 2010}}</ref>
Malted grain is used to make [[beer]], [[whisky]], [[malted milk]], [[malt vinegar]], confections such as [[Maltesers]] and [[Whoppers]], flavored drinks such as [[Horlicks]], [[Ovaltine]], and [[Milo (drink)|Milo]], and some baked goods, such as [[malt loaf]], [[bagel]]s, and [[Rich Tea]] biscuits. Malted grain that has been ground into a coarse meal is known as "sweet meal".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Horace Kephart |url=https://archive.org/details/oursouthernhigh03kephgoog |title=Our southern highlanders |publisher=The Macmillan Company |year=1922 |edition=eBook |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/oursouthernhigh03kephgoog/page/n178 134] |quote=The sprouted corn is then dried and ground into meal. This sweet meal is then made into a mush with boiling water, and is let stand two or three days. |access-date=10 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mills, Margaret H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ienxrTPHzzwC&pg=PA5 |title=South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |last2=Claus, Peter J. |last3=Diamond, Sarah |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=0-415-93919-4 |location=New York |page=5 |quote=The grain's own conversion of stored starch to sugar while sprouting ('malting') results in a sweet meal, which is then cooked for hours with water, oil, and additional wheat flour. |access-date=10 April 2011}}</ref> 

Malting grain develops the [[enzyme]]s ([[α-amylase]], β-amylase) required for modifying the grains' [[starch]]es into various types of sugar, including [[monosaccharide]] [[glucose]], [[disaccharide]] [[maltose]], [[trisaccharide]] [[maltotriose]], and higher sugars called [[maltodextrin]]es. It also develops other enzymes, such as [[protease]]s, that break down the [[protein]]s in the grain into forms that can be used by [[yeast]]. The point at which the malting process is stopped affects the [[starch]]-to-enzyme ratio, and partly converted starch becomes fermentable sugars.

Malt also contains small amounts of other sugars, such as [[sucrose]] and [[fructose]], which are not products of starch modification, but which are already in the grain. Further conversion to fermentable sugars is achieved during the [[mashing]] process.

[[File:Malt en grain.JPG|thumb|Malted barley]]

Various cereals are malted, though [[barley]] is the most common. A high-protein form of malted barley is often a label-listed ingredient in blended flours typically used in the manufacture of yeast bread and other baked goods.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Evers, A. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wUwHtcqoP0YC&pg=PA181 |title=Technology of cereals: an introduction for students of food science and agriculture |last2=Kent, N. |publisher=Pergamon Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-08-040834-6 |location=New York |page=181 |access-date=7 July 2010}}</ref>
The term [[wikt:malt|"malt"]] refers to several products of the process: the grains to which this process has been applied, for example, malted barley; the sugar, heavy in maltose, derived from such grains, such as the baker's malt used in various breakfast cereals; [[single malt whisky]], often called simply "single malt"; or a product based on malted milk, similar to a malted milkshake (i.e. "malts").

==History and traditional usage==
[[File:Samanu for 7 sin.jpg|thumb|Samanu decorated with pistachio]]

Malted grains have probably been used as an ingredient of beer since ancient times, for example in Egypt ([[Ancient Egyptian cuisine]]), [[Sumer]], and China.

In [[Persia]]n countries, a sweet paste made entirely from germinated wheat is called ''[[Samanu|samanū]]'' ({{langx|fa|سمنو}}) in [[Iran]], ''samanak'' ({{langx|fa|سمنک}}) in [[Afghanistan]], ({{langx|tg|суманак}}); ({{lang-uz-Latn|sumalak}}) or ''sümölök'' ({{langx|ky|сүмөлөк}}), which is prepared for [[Nowruz]] (Persian new year celebration) in a large pot (like a [[Kazan (cookware)|''kazan'']]). A plate or bowl of ''samanu'' is a traditional component of the [[Haft sin table]] symbolising affluence. Traditionally, women have a special party<!-- unclear --> to prepare it during the night, and cook it from late in the evening until the daylight, singing related songs. In [[Tajikistan]] and [[Afghanistan]], they sing: ''Samanak dar Jūsh u mā Kafcha zanēm – Dīgarān dar Khwāb u mā Dafcha zanēm''<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Nowruz in Afghanistan'', BBC Persian |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/story/2005/03/050319_v-afghanistan-nowrooz-cities.shtml |access-date=6 October 2014 |language=Persian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=24 ساعت – نو روز باستانی در کشور عزیز ما افغانستان |url=http://www.24sahat.com/content/view/78/14/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307072245/http://www.24sahat.com/archive/content/view/78/14/ |archive-date=2016-03-07 |access-date=27 March 2013 |website=24sahat.com}}</ref> (meaning: ''"Samanak is boiling and we are stirring it, others are asleep and we are playing [[daf]]"''). In modern times, making ''samanu'' can be a family gathering. It originally comes from the Great [[Persian Empire]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

''[[Mämmi]]'', or Easter Porridge, is a traditional [[Finnish cuisine|Finnish]] [[Lent]]en food. Cooked from rye malt and flour, ''mämmi'' has a great resemblance (in the recipe, color, and taste) to ''samanū''. Today, this product is available in shops from February until Easter. A (nonrepresentative) survey in 2013 showed that almost no one cooks'' mämmi'' at home in modern-day [[Finland]].<ref>[http://pap-tasters.blogspot.fi/2013/03/how-to-tame-your-mammi.html"How to tame your mämmi?]  ''Porridge and Potatoes''</ref>

==Malting==
{{Main|Malting}}
[[File:Highland park malting floor.jpg|thumb|Barley is spread out on the floor of a malthouse during a traditional malting process.]]

Malting is the process of converting barley or other cereal grains into malt for use in brewing, [[distilling]], or foods, and takes place in a [[maltings]], sometimes called a malthouse, or a malting floor. The cereal is spread out on the malting floor in a layer of {{convert|8|to|12|cm|frac=2|abbr=off}} depth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malting – Whisky.com |url=http://www.whisky.com/information/knowledge/production/details/malting.html |website=www.whisky.com}}</ref> 

;Drying
:The malting process starts with drying the grains to a moisture content below 14% and then storing for around six weeks to overcome [[seed dormancy]]. 
;Steeping
:When ready, the grain is immersed or [[Steeping|steeped]] in water two or three times for two or three days to allow the grain to absorb moisture and to start to [[Sprouting|sprout]]. 
;Germination
:When the grain has a moisture content of around 46%, it is transferred to the malting or germination floor, where it is constantly turned over for about four to six days while it is air-dried.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK Malt, the Maltsters' Association of Great Britain {{!}} How malt is made |url=http://www.ukmalt.com/how-malt-made |access-date=24 February 2019 |website=www.ukmalt.com}}</ref> 
;Pre-toasting
:The grain at this point, called "green malt", is then dried and toasted in an oven (or [[kiln]]) to the desired color and specification.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Malt is Made |url=http://www.ukmalt.com/howmaltismade/maltmade.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717150131/http://www.ukmalt.com/howmaltismade/maltmade.asp |archive-date=17 July 2011 |access-date=26 March 2011 |publisher=www.ukmalt.com}}</ref> Malts range in color from very pale through crystal and amber to chocolate or black malts.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Michael Lewis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cr9Pv0gefCQC&q=pale+malt+chocolate+malt&pg=PA204 |title=Brewing |last2=Tom W. Young |date=31 October 2002 |publisher=Springer, 2002 |isbn=9780306472749 |page=204 |access-date=26 March 2011}}</ref>
;Smoking
:The sprouted grain is then further dried and smoked by spreading it on a perforated wooden floor. Smoke coming from an [[oast]]ing [[fireplace]] (via smoke channels) is then used to heat the wooden floor and the sprouted grains. The temperature is usually around {{convert|55|C|F}}. 

A "maltings" is typically a long, single-storey building with a floor that slopes slightly from one end of the building to the other. Floor maltings began to be phased out in the 1940s in favor of "pneumatic plants", where large industrial fans are used to blow air through the germinating grain beds and to pass hot air through the malt being kilned. Like floor maltings, these pneumatic plants use batch processes, but of considerably greater size, typically 100-ton batches compared with 20-ton batches floor maltings.

{{Anchor|Malteurop}}{{As of|2014}}, the largest malting operation in the world was Malteurop, which operates in 14 countries.<ref name="ap2015jan">{{Cite news |date=4 January 2015 |title=Bad barley crop probably won't affect beer prices |work=[[Frederick News-Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.fredericknewspost.com/public/associated_press/bad-barley-crop-probably-won-t-affect-beer-prices/article_61aece21-88b7-5481-bbaf-3690ecbedbca.html}}</ref>

==Production==

Barley is the most commonly malted grain, in part because of its [[diastatic power|high content]] of [[enzyme]]s, though wheat, [[rye]], [[oats]], rice, and [[cereal|corn]] are also used.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wheat and Rye Malt Use in Brewing Beer. |url=http://www.beer-brewing.com/beer-brewing/barley_malts/other_malted_grains.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524231915/http://www.beer-brewing.com/beer-brewing/barley_malts/other_malted_grains.htm |archive-date=24 May 2013 |access-date=26 March 2011 |publisher=www.beer-brewing.com}}</ref> Also very important is the retention of the grain's [[husk]], even after [[threshing]], unlike the bare seeds of threshed wheat or rye. This protects the growing acrospire (developing plant [[embryo]]) from damage during malting, which can easily lead to [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] growth; it also allows the [[Mashing|mash]] of converted grain to create a filter bed during [[lautering]].

==Malts==
===Diastatic and nondiastatic===
As all grains sprout, natural enzymes within the grain break down the [[starch]] of which the grain is composed into simpler sugars, which taste sweet and are easier for yeast to use as food. Malt with active enzymes is called "diastatic malt". Malt with inactive enzymes is called "nondiastatic malt". The enzymes are deactivated by heating the malt.

===Base and specialty===
{{See also|Mash ingredients}}
Malt is often divided into two categories by brewers: base malts and specialty malts.

'''Base malts''' have enough diastatic power to convert their own starch and usually, that of some amount of starch from unmalted grain, called [[adjuncts]].

'''Specialty malts''' have little diastatic power, but provide flavor, color, or "body" ([[viscosity]]) to the finished beer. Specialty [[caramel]] or crystal malts have been subjected to heat treatment to convert their starches to sugars nonenzymatically.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} Within these categories is a variety of types distinguished largely by the kilning temperature.

===Two-row and six-row===
In addition, barley malts are distinguished by the two major cultivar types of barley used for malting, two-row, and six-row.<ref>Goldhammer, Ted (2008), ''The Brewer's Handbook'', 2nd ed., Apex, {{ISBN|0-9675212-3-8}}, p. 31 ff.</ref><ref>"[https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/zymurgy/zymurgy-extra-2-row-vs-6-row-barley/ Two-Row vs Six-Row Barley]". ''Zymurgy'', 1 May 2013, American Homebrewers Association. Retrieved 7 October 2020</ref>

==Malt extract==
[[File:Homebrew Malt Extract.jpg|thumb|[[Homebrewing]] malt extracts: liquid (left) and [[Spray drying|spray-dried]] (right)]]
[[File:Malt syrup.jpg|thumb|[[Barley malt syrup]] (LME) being added to flour in a [[bagel]] recipe]]

Malt extract, also known as extract of malt, is a sweet, [[treacle]]-like substance used as a [[dietary supplement]].<ref name="1907_British_pharmaceutical_codex">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/b21687390 |title=British pharmaceutical codex |publisher=Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain |year=1907 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b21687390/page/401 401]–404 |quote=The extract is given to children and adults for its nutritive properties. ... Extract of malt is used as a vehicle for the administration of cod-liver oil (see Extractum Malti cum Oleo Morrhuae), ... |access-date=28 March 2011}}</ref> It was popular in the first half of the 20th century as a nutritional enhancer for the children of the [[Social structure of the United Kingdom|British]] urban working class, whose diet was often deficient in [[vitamin]]s and minerals. Children were given [[cod liver oil]] for the same reason, but it proved so unpalatable that it was combined with extract of malt to produce "Malt and Cod-Liver Oil."

The 1907 ''[[British Pharmaceutical Codex]]''{{'}}s instructions for making a nutritional extract of malt do not include a [[Lautering|mashout]] at the end of extraction and include the use of lower mash temperatures than is typical with modern beer-brewing practices. The ''Codex'' indicates that diastatic activity is to be preserved by the use of temperatures not exceeding {{convert|55|C|F}}.

===Malt extract production===
Malt extract is frequently used in the brewing of beer. Its production begins by germinating barley grain in a process known as malting, which consists of immersing the barley in water to encourage it to sprout, then drying it to halt the progress when the sprouting begins. The drying step stops the sprouting, but the enzymes remain active due to the low temperatures used in base malt production.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joseph La Villa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LvKJKnP2LvgC&pg=PT347 |title=The Wine, Beer, and Spirits Handbook: A Guide to Styles and Service |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-53757-2 |page=347 |quote=The base malt in any brewing process is called pale malt. It is dried at around {{convert|122|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Specialty malts are made either by heating the barley before it is dry or by roasting the dried malt. |access-date=30 March 2011}}</ref> In one before-and-after comparison, malting decreased barley's extractable starch content by about 7% on a dry matter basis and turned that portion into various other carbohydrates.<ref name="isbn0-8493-2547-1">{{Cite book |last1=Stevens, Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zV9bpyykNtMC&pg=PA123 |title=Brewing: science and practice |last2=Dennis E. Briggs |last3=Chris Boulton |last4=Brookes, Peter |publisher=Woodhead |year=2004 |isbn=0-8493-2547-1 |location=Cambridge |page=123 |access-date=29 March 2011}} See tables 4.15 & 4.16</ref>

[[File:Pabst Malt Extract Advertisement 1897.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|1897 Pabst Malt Extract ad]]

In the next step, brewers use a process called mashing to extract the sugars. Brewers warm cracked malt in temperature-modulated water, activating the enzymes,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Brew – By John Palmer – Mashing Defined |url=http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-1.html |access-date=28 March 2011}}</ref> which cleave more of the malt's remaining starch into various sugars, the largest percentage of which is [[maltose]].<ref name="isbn0-8493-2547-1" /> Modern beer-mashing practices typically include high enough temperatures at mash-out to deactivate remaining enzymes, thus it is no longer [[wikt:diastatic|diastatic]]. The liquid produced from this, [[wort]], is then concentrated by using heat or a vacuum procedure to evaporate water<ref name="1907_British_pharmaceutical_codex" /> from the mixture. The concentrated wort is called malt extract.

=== Malt extract types ===
Two forms of malt extract are used by brewers: liquid malt extract (LME), containing about 20% water, and dry malt extract (DME), dehydrated to 2% water. LME is a thick syrup that typically gives off more pleasant flavors than its counterpart, while DME provides better consistency in color. When using large amounts of extract, LME is typically used because its ability to dissolve in boiling temperatures, whereas DME can clump up and become difficult to liquefy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DME vs LME |url=https://www.urbanbrewers.com/DME-vs-LME_b_16.html |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=www.urbanbrewers.com}}</ref> LME is also sold in jars as a consumer product.

==Research==
Scientists aim to discover what happens inside barley grains as they become malted to help plant breeders produce better malting barley for food and beverage products. The United States [[Agricultural Research Service]] scientists are interested in specialized enzymes called serine-class [[proteases]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 February 2010 |title=Like Malt? You'll Love This Malting Barley Research! |url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb10/malt0210.htm |publisher=USDA Agricultural Research Service}}</ref> that digest beta-amylases, which convert carbohydrates into "simple sugars" during the sprouting process.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 February 2010 |title=Secrets to Superb Malting Barleys Explored by ARS Researchers |url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100203.htm |access-date=7 March 2011 |publisher=USDA Agricultural Research Service}}</ref> The enzyme also breaks down stored proteins into their amino-acid derivatives. The balance of proteins and carbohydrates broken down by the enzyme affects the malt's flavor.

=== Enzyme-rich malt extract ===
Enzyme-rich malt extract (ERME) is a specialised form of barley malt extract (marketed by Ateria Health<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Ingredient – Ateria Health Ltd |url=https://ateriahealth.com/our-ingredient/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=ateriahealth.com}}</ref>), that has undergone preparation to activate the natural [[amylase]] and [[glucanase]] enzymes in the grain. Initially researched as an [[Horse|equine]] food supplement,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hunter |first=JO |date=2009 |title=Do horses suffer from irritable bowel syndrome? |url=https://equinectar.com/2009/01/do-horses-get-irritable-bowel-syndrome/ |journal=Equine Veterinary Journal |volume=41 |issue=9 |pages=836–40|doi=10.2746/042516409X474284 |pmid=20383978 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Proudman |first1=C. J. |last2=Hunter |first2=J. O. |last3=Darby |first3=A. C. |last4=Escalona |first4=E. E. |last5=Batty |first5=C. |last6=Turner |first6=C. |date=June 2014 |orig-date=2014 |title=Characterisation of the faecal metabolome and microbiome of Thoroughbred racehorses |url=https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12324 |journal=Equine Veterinary Journal |language=en |volume=47 |issue=5 |pages=580–586 |doi=10.1111/evj.12324 |pmid=25041526 |s2cid=1473275 |issn=0425-1644}}</ref> pilot studies using ERME as a human [[Dietary supplement|food supplement]] have suggested that it could potentially improve the symptoms of [[Irritable bowel syndrome|Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)]] and chronic [[constipation]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Haworth |first1=Jordan |last2=Bloor |first2=Sarah |last3=Hobson |first3=Anthony |date=June 2022 |orig-date=June 2022 |title=P230 Open label pilot study: an enzyme-rich malt extract (ERME™) for the treatment of chronic constipation |url=https://gut.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/gutjnl-2022-BSG.284 |journal=[[BMJ]] |publisher=BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology |volume=71 |issue=Suppl 1 |pages=A153.1–A153 |doi=10.1136/gutjnl-2022-BSG.284|s2cid=249904295 }}</ref> due to the way it can break down carbohydrates in the small intestine that IBS has been found to hinder.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=TS |last2=Elia |first2=M |last3=Hunter |first3=JO |date=1998 |orig-date=October 10, 1998 |title=Abnormal colonic fermentation in irritable bowel syndrome |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(98)02146-1 |journal=The Lancet |volume=352 |issue=9135 |pages=1187–1189 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(98)02146-1 |pmid=9777836 |s2cid=1750363 |issn=0140-6736}}</ref> However further research is ongoing to fully prove this link.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14173715 |title=Can an enzyme-rich malt extract improve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome? |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |publisher=ISRCTN |doi=10.1186/isrctn14173715 |language=en |doi-access= free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edith Cowan University |first=Perth |date=2021-04-06 |title=Does Enzyme Rich Malt Extract improve symptoms and quality of life for those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome? |url=https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/medical-and-health-sciences/our-research/school-research-areas/nutrition-and-dietetics/gut-health-and-microbiome/does-enzyme-rich-malt-extract-improve-symptoms-and-quality-of-life-for-those-with-irritable-bowel-syndrome |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=ECU |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Beer}}
* [[Malt beer]]
* [[Malt beverage]]
* [[Malta (soft drink)]]
* [[Radio Malt]]
* [[Sprouted bread]]
* [[Wheatgrass]]
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* D. E. Briggs, ''Malts and Malting'', Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers (30 September 1998), {{ISBN|0-412-29800-7}}
* Clark, Christine, ''The British Malting Industry Since 1830'', Hambledon Continuum (1 July 1998), {{ISBN|1-85285-170-8}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commonscat}}
*[https://homebrewacademy.com/malted-barley/ A Complete Guide to Malted Barley]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Malt| ]]
[[Category:Brewing ingredients]]
[[Category:Cereals]]
[[Category:Sweeteners]]