Aside from the customary rapid analysis methods for water and protein as well as physical tests, the visual inspection of barley, i.e., the evaluation of the external characteristics of the grain, also remains a meaningful method for assessing barley.
This method describes how to determine whether kernels are damaged as part of the visual and manual inspection of a lot of barley.
Damaged kernels are those, which have experienced extreme weather conditions prior to harvesting. This damage is technically relevant during processing of the barley and can negatively impact filtration during production and the shelf life of the finished beer. It may also induce gushing, etc. in packaged beer.
Barley intended for the production of malt is to be evaluated on the basis of the characteristics described below.
Visual assessment