Annual Progress Report on Malting Barley Research March, 2002

137
A STUDY OF THE MALTING QUALITY OF NEW BARLEY SELECTIONS
Allen D. Budde, Berne L. Jones, Eddie Goplin and David M. Peterson
Cereal Crops Research Unit, USDA, ARS and
Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Objectives. This project is an on going research collaboration with several state and
federal malting barley breeding projects. Breeders' selections are micro-malted, analyzed
and evaluated for malting quality. We can thereby provide accurate data and quality
evaluations of new selections and thus facilitate the development of improved malting
barleys. We also have carried out analyses that involve measuring the malting quality of
experimental lines. These will lead to a better understanding of the biochemistry behind
malting quality and/or will allow breeders to more effectively produce barley lines that
have improved malting quality.
Materials and methods. The methods used for the physical and chemical analyses of
micro-malts are, for the most part, ASBC procedures. Some automated versions of the
standard methods are used, in which case they have been standardized against the
recommended procedures.
Micro-malts are prepared with 170 g (db) or, when seed was limited, with 120 g samples.
The samples are steeped to 45% moisture at 16ºC, germinated for 5 days at 17ºC, with
turning for 3 min each half hour, and kilned over a period of 24 hours to a final
temperature of 85ºC. These conditions are used to obtain malts having quality
characteristics similar to those prepared commercially.
All analytical data and evaluations of the micro-malts are summarized in individual
reports that are returned to the breeders who had submitted the samples. At the end of the
analysis year, the results are compiled into four annual regional reports that are posted at
http://www.dfrc.ars.usda.gov/ccru/cc00001.html on our website. Data from the pilot
scale analyses are submitted to AMBA for collaborative evaluation.
Results.
Barley samples brewed. We have discontinued the pilot brewing of lines that showed
commercial potential, but are maintaining our brewing equipment in operating condition
and sometimes use it for experimental studies.
Malting and analyzing research samples. During the 2000 crop year, we malted and
analyzed the quality of 993 samples (listed above, under ‘experimental’) for various
USDA and non-USDA barley researchers, who needed malting quality information to
carry out their research projects. These analyses were carried out in addition to analyzing
samples that were submitted by breeders as part of their yearly breeding line quotas.
Some of the research projects for which we analyzed samples were: 1) barleys that
received various rates of nitrogen application; 2) lines that were developed and used to
map the locations of QTLs on chromosomes; 3) proanthocyanidin-free barley lines; and
4) various projects being carried out at the CCRU.