Observations on the Steeping of Malting Barley

Abstract

In recent years, considerable attention has been drawn by English and Continental maltsters to the advantages attending modifications in the steeping of barley, and this important portion of the malting process is now regarded as involving something more than a mere absorption of water. Day (Trans, and Proc. Bot. Soe. Edin.f 1896, 491—501) pointed out that an inadequate supply of moisture prevents sufficient metabolism of the constituents of the endosperm; whilst an excessive quantity carries the internal changes too far, and, in addition to the waste of starch and other substances necessary for the development of the embryo, certain soluble nitrogenous compounds are formed which, although useful when present in moderate quantity, are a source of trouble when they occur in excess. The results of the moisture determinations indicated that new-forming tissues of barleys cannot grow with any degree of success unless the moisture is above 63 per cent. The different barleys, which wero steeped for 24 hours only, grow to a very slight extent. According to 0. Jacob (Zeits. ges. Branw., 1902, 25, 289—291), practical maltsters have often expressed the opinion that long steeping under water has a beneficial influence on the regularity of germination, the quick-growing corns being retarded. To obtain information on the question, this investigator experimented with (1) a good ger minating barley; (2) a barley of low germinative power; and (3) a mixture in equal parts of (1) and (2). Three separate steepings, of 24, 48, and 72 hours, wero employed, and the germinating corns grouped according to the extent of germination. The results showed that an increasing duration of steep undor water not only delays the