First published in FST magazine’s July 2017 issue, pages 20 - 21.See www.safst.co.za. Bluebird Foods is the sales and distribution agent to Cereal & Malt (www.cerealandmalt.com). Except for barley malt extract, we also supply barley flour, malt flour, oat flour, oat meal and rice flour.

1. The steeped barley is then moved to a room where
temperature and humidity are carefully controlled to
ensure that the grain germinates evenly. This is achieved
by aerating the grain with humidified air, which also
removes the carbon dioxide that has resulted from
metabolic activity. Total germination time is usually fewer
than five days, during which time the activity of alpha
and beta amylase increases. It is these enzymes that are
responsible for the degradation of starch in the
extraction process.
The germination process is halted by
drying (or kilning) when the
optimum degree
of starch
modification
and enzyme
production
has been
reached.
Drying proceeds
slowly at first to
stabilise enzyme
activity and then at higher
temperatures to develop colour
and flavour. The malt is then cooled
and stored when the moisture content
has been reduced to around 10%.
M
any of us were introduced to malt at an early
age when a spoonful of cod liver oil and malt
was forced down our throats as a childhood
remedy. Cod liver oil was a well-known source of
vitamins A and D and today is also valued for its
omega-3 and omega-6 content.
However, cod liver oil has a major drawback – it tastes
dreadful! That’s when a clever pharmacist had the
brainwave of mixing it with malt extract to improve its
palatability. Cod liver oil and malt has remained a popular
nutritional supplement ever since.
Malt extract has wide number of food applications,
particularly cereals (breakfast cereals, biscuits and
bread), dairy (hot and cold milk beverages, ice cream)
chocolate confectionery and of course beer.
Malt is defined as dried barley that has been germinated
under controlled conditions, and malt extract is the
concentrated water extract of malted barley. Whilst
malt is usually made from barley, other grains can also
be used. Malted wheat is the principal raw material
for Weissbier and malted sorghum has both food and
beverage uses. The significance of malt extract as an
ingredient is its relatively low sweetness, unique flavour
and nutritional qualities; the purpose of this article is to
outline its manufacture and range of applications.
Malting
Barley in South Africa is obtained mostly from the
southern Cape region and from the Vaalharts Irrigation
Scheme around Hartswater in the Northern Cape. After
having been cleaned of foreign material, it is transferred
to tanks where it is steeped with water and vigorously
aerated with air until the moisture content has been
increased to around 45%.
David is the owner/director of Cereal and Malt. He graduated in Food Science
in London before immigrating to South Africa where he subsequently obtained
a masters degree from Tukkies. He was formerly associated with the baking
industry, having worked as a Technical Manager with Tiger Brands and Sunbake.
The processing
and uses of barley
malt extract
By David Carroll, MIFST
(Member of the Institute
of Food Science and
Technology)
Bigstock/Diyana Dimitrova
20
FST Magazine July 2017
Bigstock/rafer

2. Extraction
The malted barley is coarsely ground and fed into a mash
tank where it is mixed with water. During a series of time
and temperature changes, the starch is converted into
maltose and other simple sugars by the action of beta
and alpha amylase. Once the hydrolysis of starch has
been completed, the mixture is transferred to a mash
filter to separate out the insoluble material from the
solution (also known as wort).
The wort is concentrated by evaporation under vacuum
until the moisture content is around 21% (as measured
by refractometer). Colour and flavour can be controlled
at this stage by altering residence time. Finally, the liquid
malt extract is filtered, cooled and packaged. A dry malt
extract powder may also be produced by processing the
wort in a spray-drying tower.
Table 1: Characteristics of malt extract
Reducing sugars
(of which maltose)
Protein
Moisture
Specific gravity
EBC colour
Water activity
60–70%
35–45%
5–6%
20–22%
1.4
7–12
0.7–0.75
Malt extract is used as a sweetener with flavour and
nutritional properties. It has roughly half the sweetness
of sugar or golden syrup and therefore can be used in
food applications where too much sweetness is undesir-
able. Being derived from barley, it enhances the flavour of
many cereal-based foods including infant formula, biscuits
and breads. Breakfast cereals in particular rely on malt
extract to mask the bitter notes of high-fibre
formulations.
Malt extract has practical applications in the baking
industry. In fermented bakery foods, it promotes yeast
activity; oven temperatures can be lowered or bake
times shortened as crust colour is enhanced. In biscuit
and cracker production, the cutting and machining is
improved as well as the smoothness and shine of the
finished product.
In ice cream or milkshake formulations a “double-thick
malt” depends on malt extract as the primary flavour-
sweetener. Hot or cold milk malted beverages also
depend on this ingredient for taste and flavour.
The craft beer industry has grown by leaps and bounds in
South Africa in recent years and malt extract is commonly
used as a base in brewing processes. In home-brew
kits, malt extract eliminates the need for mashing and
filtration of the wort and makes the process much easier
for the amateur brewer. In commercial breweries, malt
extract confers extra gravity and colour to beers such as
European ales.
The versatility of malt extract for flavour, nutritional
properties, texture and colour in a broad spectrum of
applications makes it a highly desirable ingredient in the
food industry.
Reference
Hickenbottom, J.W. (1996). Processing, types and uses of
barley malt extracts and syrups. Cereal Foods World 41:
788–790.
July 2017 FST Magazine
21
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Bigstock/venemama