Barley malt extract is a natural sweetener derived from malted barley through a process of mashing and fermentation.

The name describes the structure of the molecule.

• Barley refers to barley, a grain that has been used for millennia in food and beer production.
• Malt refers to barley that has been allowed to germinate and then dried through a process called malting. Malting allows the development of the enzymes required to modify the grain's starches into sugars.
• Extract indicates that the product is an extract, meaning a substance made by extracting a part of the raw material, often using a solvent like ethanol or water.

Raw materials used in production. 

• The fundamental raw material for the production of barley malt extract is malted barley, which is produced by allowing barley seeds to germinate.

Step-by-step summary of industrial production process.

• Malting. Barley is soaked in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried in a process known as malting.
• Mashing. The malted barley is then mashed in hot water to extract fermentable sugars.
• Fermentation. The sugary mix is then fermented by yeast, converting the sugars into alcohol and other substances.
• Evaporation. The alcohol is then evaporated, leaving behind a thick, sweet extract.
• Refinement and Filtration. The extract is then refined and filtered to achieve the desired consistency and purity.

Form and color. 

Barley malt extract appears as a thick, golden-brown syrup.

Commercial applications. 

Used as a sweetener and flavoring in foods and drinks, and as an ingredient in baking and beer production to aid fermentation.

Food Industry. Barley malt extract is often used as a natural sweetener, fermenting agent, and flavor enhancer in baked goods, cereals, snacks, and beverages.

Beer Brewing. It is a key ingredient in beer production, acting as a source of fermentable sugars and influencing the color and flavor of the final beverage.

Supplements. It is sometimes used in dietary supplements due to its content of B vitamins and minerals.

Confectionery and Chocolate. It can be used in the production of confectionery and chocolate to enhance flavor and consistency.

Studies

Barley malt extract is traditionally used to flavor the foods and it is the product of the germination of barley. During germination, the non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in the cell wall of barley, constituting mainly arabinoxylans and β-glucans, are solubilised and partly degraded into smaller molecules (1).

Health

 Barley and germinated barley contain large quantities of glutamine (2) an important substrate for colonic mucosa. 

Glutamine is easily degraded by the low pH in the stomach, but some of the glutamine is protected by the dietary fibre during digestion in the stomach (3) and therefore reaches the colon. In this study, starting from the premise that Butyric acid, one of the key products formed when β-glucans are degraded by the microbiota in the colon, has been proposed to be important for colonic health. 

Glutamine bound to the fibre may have similar effects once it has been liberated from the fibre in the colon. Both β-glucans and glutamine are found in high amounts in malted barley. Lactobacillus rhamnosus together with malt has been shown to increase the formation of butyric acid further in rats (4).

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Jamar C, Jardin Pd, Fauconnier M. Cell wall polysaccharides hydrolysis of malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): a review. Biotechnol Agron Soc Environ. 2011;15:301–13

(2)  Robertson JA, I'Anson KJA, Treimo J, Faulds CB, Brocklehurst TF, Eijsink VGH, et al. Profiling brewers’ spent grain for composition and microbial ecology at the site of production. LWT Food Sci Technol. 2010;43:890–6

(3) Kanauchi O, Agata K  Protein, and dietary fiber-rich new foodstuff from brewer's spent grain increased excretion of feces and jejunum mucosal protein content in rats.   Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1997 Jan; 61(1):29-33.

(4) Zhong Y, Nyman M.  Prebiotic and synbiotic effects on rats fed malted barley with selected bacteria strains.   Food Nutr Res. 2014 Oct 6;58. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v58.24848. eCollection 2014.