This method describes how to determine the moisture content in malt. The moisture content of malt is of great importance because excessive moisture in malt can lead to a diminished extract yield. High moisture content is also detrimental to malt in storage.
Malt intended for use in beer brewing or elsewhere in the food industry
The moisture content of malt is determined through the loss in mass during a standardized drying process, in which ground malt is dried at a defined temperature within a specified time in an electrically heated drying oven. The moisture content is determined through the difference in the weight of the malt prior to and after drying.
It should be borne in mind that allowing the weighed sample of ground malt to stand for any length of time prior to performing the analysis can alter the outcome, depending upon the humidity in the air. For this reason, it is recommended that the analysis be carried out immediately after grinding the malt.
For rapid methods, refer to analysis methods R-110.40.022 Moisture Content in Barley – Infrared Drying to R-110.40.183 Moisture Content in Barley – NIT (Verweise).