ABSTRACT
Malt is made from germinated cereals such as barley, wheat, oats, rye, sorghum, millet, rice, maize (corn), and pseudo-cereals such as buckwheat and quinoa. Barley and other cereal grains are fruits because they contain a pericarp. Barley malt is used in different quantities to make Scotch, Irish, Japanese, American, and Canadian whiskeys. A significant amount of research interest is being directed at using new gene transformation techniques to breed improved barley varieties. Barley grains, except for naked (huskless) barley, contain: husk, pericarp, testa, aleurone layer, starchy endosperm, and embryo. The aleurone layer is about two to three cells deep over the starchy endosperm. The term endosperm comprises the pericarp, testa, aleurone, and the starchy endosperm tissue. The embryo contains about 30" to 35" protein in contrast to the endosperm, which only contains about 10" to 12".
