THE IMPACT OF NON-STANDARD BARLEY QUALITY ON THE MALTING PROCESS AND ITS UTILIZATION POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

Malting barley is a key ingredient in the production of malt, which is further used in the production of beer, a beverage with a long tradition in Slovakia. The production of high‑quality malt depends on multiple factors, including variety, weather conditions, soil characteristics, water availability and appropriate processing. In recent years, the cultivation of malting barley in Slovakia has faced several agronomic and economic challenges, such as variable weather patterns, soil degradation trends and increasing production costs, which have contributed to a higher occurrence of barley with non‑standard quality parameters. The aim of this study was to determine the technological quality of malting barley with non‑standard protein content and to analyse the malting potential of the resulting malt samples. The results indicate that processing barley with elevated protein content may adversely affect key malt quality attributes, including friability, extract yield and the Kolbach index. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring the quality of incoming barley and adjusting malting parameters when processing raw material that deviates from standard quality requirements.