MALT

Article summary

, 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". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, malt syrup, confections (such as Maltesers and Whoppers), flavored drinks (such as Horlicks, Ovaltine, and Milo), and some baked goods (such as malt loaf, bagels, and Rich Tea biscuits). Malted grain that has been ground into a coarse meal is known as "sweet meal". Malting grain develops the enzymes (α-amylase, β-amylase) required for modifying the grains' starches into various types of sugar, including monosaccharide glucose, disaccharide maltose, trisaccharide maltotriose, and higher sugars called maltodextrines. It also develops other enzymes, such as proteases, that break down the proteins 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 are already in the grain. Further conversion to fermentable sugars is achieved during the mashing process. Various cereals are malted, though barley is the most common.…

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