Malt

Malting

The malting is an operation which consists in reproducing, in an industrial way, the natural development of a Céréale, generally of the Orge although the wheat also lends itself to it, so that the latter produces some enzymes and of the sugars. The maltor is the person who is in charge of this operation.

Manufacture

The principle of malting consists in reproducing the ideal conditions of development of the grain of Orge (heat and moisture) so that it produces some Enzyme S (cytase, Amylase S, Phosphatase S, protéinases, Peptidase S) necessary to the Saccharification of the starch, and thus, with the manufacture of the alcohol at the time of the Fermentation. Once the met conditions, the barley will start to produce enzymes which will allow him:

to penetrate through the hemicellulosic barrier and thus to be able to reach its starch reserves;
to transform the starch in particular into glucose, glucid métabolisable by yeast (thus producing water and of CO₂).

Malting proceeds in 4 stages:

the steeping , which consists in putting the barley to be soaked during ten hours;
the germination , which is the period during which the barley will start to germinate, and thus, to produce enzymes such as the Amylase. This stage lasts approximately about fifty hours, variable according to the barley, and gives rise to so that one calls “green malt”;
the kilning , which consists in drying “green malt” (its moisture passes from 45% to 4%) in a furnace with air at a temperature of 40°C during about thirty hours. At the time of this stage, the maltor carries out a “shot” where the “green malt” is heated until reaching a temperature ranging between 85°C and 105°C during 1 to 4 a.m. This stage is crucial because it is the duration of the “shot” which will determine the color of malt. In the same way, the water content will exploit the flavor of Caramel;
the degerming , which consists in removing malt from its rootlets.

At the conclusion of this stage the malt is an inert element which can be preserved nearly one year.

Use

The malt is mainly used in the manufacture of alcoholic drinks such as the Whiskey and especially the Bière. It is also used for the manufacture of food products like the Vinaigre of malt.

Malt extract

The malt extract is a formed pulp of malted flour mixed with water and having undergone an enzymatic process of hydrolysis. The molecules contained in malted cereal seeds, generally of the barley malted, are transformed by the Enzyme S generated during malting into smaller and simpler molecules, usable by the plant for its growth. This mixture of easily digestible molecules during their consumption can be concentrated after filtration, which will give a syrup called malt extract. The syrup contains primarily derivatives of the Amidon (Maltose mainly), amino-acid resulting from the transformation of Protéine S, Vitamine S and rock salt.

Malt

Malting

Manufacture

Use

Malt extract

See also