The most important thing as far as Maltsters are concerned about is the germination capacity, yes greater than 96% is the target, anything less than 96% is rejected, the same goes for any grain with signs of mould/ mycotoxins, and when I was still at work, Ergot was raising it's ugly head, if 1 piece of ergot is spotted in a wagon full of grain, the whole load is rejected.king wrote: Fri Nov 28, 2025 3:35 pmPlump and uniform grain ensure even water uptake and don't always indicate high nitrogen level. ALL barley can be malted. To meet malting grade ANY barley must have lower protein levels (around 9.5% to 12.5%) this range produces high starch content and good malt extract. (this can change depending on what is being made)The Maltster wrote: Fri Nov 28, 2025 12:54 pm Ant got it spot on, it's probably barley that's been sent for malting and has been rejected due to high level of screenings ( barley less then 2.2 mm) and other small admixture like seed, dust and other debris?
The farmer has 2 options, sell it cheaper or take it back and clean it up, alot of small corns can also increase the nitrogen level, that's why Maltsters and Distillers like the plump grains .
nitrogen content, typically below 1.65%
98% germinative capacity
moisture content should be below 13.5%
The main reason for rejection is inconsistent batches from the same source.
Protein is related to nitrogen level, Protein is 6.25 x the nitrogen level, so barley with a nitrogen level of 1.6 % equated to a protein level of 10%.
Re. Plump grain, yes a uniform grain size is preferred, but it can be plump and high nitrogen if the farmer gets the fertiliser application wrong.
