Integrating the malt value chain
Barley is especially well suited to malting operations and meets brewers’ needs and expectations. During the different stages of fabrication of malt and beer, the grain is capable of synthesizing and rapidly activating an enzymatic complex. Certain of these enzymes are necessary for the saccharification of starch, and thus its later transformation into alcohol during fermentation of the wort at the brewery. During this final stage, barley’s moderate protein content is sufficient for nourishing the yeast while limiting the appearance of sludge in the beer.
The fine husks that are a particularity of barley grains, following crushing of the malt, are the origin of the draff through which the wort is filtered in order to separate the insoluble parts.
Even though malt is made essentially from barley, other cereal grains can be malted (wheat, sorghum, buckwheat, rye) depending on the availability of raw materials in the country. Wheat malt is used mainly in making "white" beers (Weiβenbier in Germany).
Following a harvest of malting barley done at a stage of complete physiological maturity (moisture < 14.5 %), storage must be able to ensure maintenance of satisfactory sanitary and technological quality. That means that malting barley must be stored in clean, watertight installations equipped with ventilation allowing the grain to be cooled in successive stages, thus avoiding the proliferation of insects and the development of microflora and maintaining the barley’s germinating power.
Barley, throughout history the most widespread cereal grain, seems to have first been grown in Turkestan, Ethiopia, Tibet, Nepal, and China. Archeological excavations 100 km from Cairo, in Egypt, have shown that barley was grown as early as 5,000 years ago.
Malt is the main ingredient of beer - it takes as much as 200 grams of malt to make a liter of beer. The other ingredients are water, hops (two grams per liter of beer), and yeast (one centiliter per liter of beer).
Malt and its co-products are used essentially in human and animal foods. This being the case, it is vital to be able to guarantee surveillance at all stages to ensure food safety in the marketing of these products.
Thanks to its experience and its international scope, Malteurop has developed real expertise over the entire malting-barley chain and a complete and dynamic approach to all aspects of barley supply and procurement.
Malteurop conducts a research and development policy aimed at introducing innovations into the barley-malt-beer value chain. It concerns primarily control over raw materials – barley and malt – and improving industrial processes at malting plants.
Malteurop is first and foremost an industrial group engaged in the primary processing of barley into malt.
At its base our profession consists in ensuring the availability of malts in the right place, at the right time, at the right price, in the desired quality and quantities, at the point of secondary processing by our brewer customers.
