Malt is the product obtained from germinated barley. Barley is first softened after cleaning by steeping with water and then allowed to germinate under controlled conditions. The germinated grain then undergoes the stages of drying, grinding, extracting, filtering, and evaporating, to produce Malt Extract with 78 to 80% solids content.”  Malting allows the starches in the grains to change into sugars, such as glucose and fructose. 

Types of Malts

In food processing various types of malts are available in the form of extracts, syrups, liquid or dry, enzymatic or non-enzymatic, dark or light coloured. Most people buy and use malts according to the flavour and colour, enzyme systems, texture, and eye appeal in the finished product. malts are popular as they are nutritious and are easy to digest as they contain digestible carbohydrates, low sucrose content, proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes that are broken down. Malts also have a distinctive flavour and are selected for their nutritious content.

Malt Syrup and Malt Extract are terms used for the thick and sticky water extract of germinated barley or other cereal grains. Malt Extract and Malt Syrup are brown, sweet, gluey liquids which may or may not contain diastatic enzymes. Malts can be used in foods with no limitation other than good manufacturing practices.

Malt powders are called diastatic and nondiastatic. In diastatic malts active enzymes transform starches into sugars and this powder is used when baking bread. Nondiastatic malt powder has no active enzymes, and is commonly used in malt drinks for enhancing flavour. It can contain sugar, colours and other additives.

Malted milk is a dry gruel made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and whole milk, which is evaporated until it forms a powder.

Malted whiskies are made from a fermented mixture of malt and water. When produced by a single grain at a single distillery, a malted whisky is called single-malt.

Food products that have malts

Malts are used by many segments of the food industry and are used according to their solid content, enzymatic activity, colour, pH factor, ability to reduce sugar level, protein, ash and microbiological profiles. Malts are used in cereals, baked foods, biscuits, bagels, some varieties of bread rolls, waffles, pancakes confectionery, soya milk and other beverages, infant foods, ice-cream, chocolate based foods, vinegar and even in pet foods and pharmaceuticals. Generally vitamins, hot extracts, cod liver oil, powdered milk, vegetable fats, medicines, and various tonics are added to malt. Ice-creams and yoghurt are enhanced by adding malt to them.