Note 5 — Chapter III
Reading edition
In malting barley, it is made to sprout a certain length, and the growth is then arrested by heating and drying it. Mashed barley, before sprouting, will not dissolve in water, but when sprouted, the whole of the starch (the flour) it contains dissolves readily by a gentle heat. The diastase formed during the germination effects this. By further heating in the brewer’s wort, this starch is converted into sugar as it is in the growing plant.