Characteristics of malted rice for the production of sugar syrup

Abstract

Studies were conducted on malted rice in an attempt to produce rice malt with high diastatic power for the production of sugar syrup from cassava flour. Rice malt was prepared by malting paddy rice over 12 days at 28EC ± 2EC in the dark. The germination power of the rice was studied and diastatic power in malted rice determined. Relationship among diastatic power, malting period and parts of malted seedling were studied. Results indicated that the optimum diastatic power in rice malt occurred on the 10th day of malting. Statistical analysis indicated a positive correlation (r = +0.88) between diastatic power in rice-malt seeds and seedling development to a point. Wet rice-malt with plumule and radicle had the highest diastatic power of 91.50 degree lintner (EL) compared to rice-malt prepared from malted rice seeds alone which had 65.67EL and dried malted rice seeds with plumule and radicle which had 58.95EL. Malting rice for 10 days and preparing malt from germinated rice seeds with plumule and radicle could give rice-malt with a high diastatic power for the hydrolysis of starch in the production of sugar syrup. (Journal of the Ghana Science Association: 2001 3(3): 91-99)