CURVAS DE DOIS PROCESSOS DE HIDRATAÇÃO DA CEVADA

Abstract

The objective of this work is to do a comparative study between two methods of hydration of barley. Barley seeds of the variety BR-2 (Hordeum vulgare L.) were used in the experiment. The initial characterizations of barley were made, determining its moisture content, its germination power, its protein content and its specific mass. The procedures used in the hydration of the barley samples were the continuous and discontinuous 2/4/1/4/1(2 hours of the hydration / 4 hours of the tempering /1 hour of the rehydration / 4 hours of the tempering / 1 hour of the rehydration). In both procedures, samples of 300 g of the product were used – in four tests with three repetitions each – conditioned in trays of stainless aluminum, at controlled ambient temperature of 20oC. The moisture content, power germination, protein and specific mass reached 11.4%, 95%, 12% and 733kg/m3 respectively. With the continuous procedure, in the first two hours, the moisture content increased quickly from 11.4% w.b. to 35% w.b.; whereas in the discontinuous procedure 2/4/1/4/1, in the same period of time, the increase was from 11.4 % w.b. to 34.7% w.b. As for the following hours, the absorption ratio decreased along the time, reaching 41% w.b. for the continuous method, and 41.5% w.b. for the discontinuous 2/4/1/4/1. The tested methods showed similar results in the hydration process. Both methods can be used in the malting system, for they generate enough moisture content to start the germination stage. Keywords: