Prediction of extract potential in new barley varieties by measuring cell-wall breakdown

The rapidity with which barley can solubilise and degrade its endosperm cell walls is closely linked to its suitability for malting. Grain that is able to achieve low β-glucan contents by day two of germination is likely to have a good extract potential. Grain that is unable to mobilise the β-glucan component as quickly is less suitable. This observation has formed the basis for a simple, robust and rapid method of predicting extract potential in small samples. A miniaturised test for extract potential that uses only 5g of barley has been developed based on this correlation.