The 2017 Cereals Development Programme toured maltsters and malt ingredient specialists Muntons. Member and Gloucestershire / Worcestershire arable farmer Charles Day reports.
On a dreary grey Wednesday in January, the CDP travelled to maltsters and malt ingredient specialists Muntons as part of the supply chain visit. Muntons, located at Stowmarket, has been a family-owned company since 1921 and is one of the biggest players in the sector with offices in Chicago and Thailand.
To begin we were given an introduction to the company and their vision, mission and values. We also got an understanding all of the uses malt has in food production, from making white bread brown to the centre of Malteasers.
Our first stop was the brand new intake facility and dryer set-up. We were shown some of the tests they undertake on delivery of barley, using some very expensive bits of equipment. Once out of the lab we were shown the 150t dryer which dries 50t per hour and is fully automated. At 26m high this was an impressive bit of kit. Once the barley has been dried to the right specification it’s steeped in water for 48 hours; again this process is all full automated for efficacy and accuracy.
The grain is transferred to the germination unit. During the next four or five days it is encouraged to grow under controlled conditions. Natural enzymes remove the cell walls and help to make the grain softer and easier to grind. This unit had a distinct smell, as well as feeling tropical with the heat and humidity. We then travelled out of the jungle and into the dry heat of the kilns, where warm air stops the germination process and reduces the moisture content of the barley. This process takes up to 28 hours to get the moisture content down to 3-4%. It is at this stage the malt takes on flavours and colours. Finally the malt can now be ground down into various consistencies for different products.
Having seen the production side of Muntons we were taken to their Centre of Excellence. This purpose-built facility gives the space and technology for product development, renovation, the innovation of malt and malted ingredients and retail product research, ranging from home brewing kits to malt extract. With a fully functioning industrial kitchen, bakery and brewery we were able to sample some of the products. They also showed us the sensory room used for product testing, with special lighting and neutral colours to improve senses.
Overall it was a fantastic experience to see the attention to detail in process of creating malt. Thank you to everyone at Muntons for the tour and to Openfield and the NFU for arranging it. I think we will all look at certain foods differently.