How to germinate barley correctly at home? Germination procedure

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Few have ever grown grain at home. And even those who decide to try, usually choose wheat, as it is cheap and affordable. But far from being the only one on the grain market. But people remember barley only in association with m alt and beer. And completely in vain, because a small grain contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Today we will talk about how to germinate barley. Perhaps for some, this will be the first step towards changing their lives and eating habits.

Select quality grain

It's very simple here. Buying grain on the market, you can get a spoiled product, grain with mold or treated with special compounds that do not allow sprouting. The latter technique is used when barley prepared for animal feed is poured. Even if the grain is damp,it will not sprout and will not deteriorate. But in our case it does not fit at all.

Any grain must be carefully examined and selected. Using low-quality grain, you get a small yield of the necessary product, that is, you waste time in vain. So there are a few rules to keep in mind:

• Use barley harvested no more than 2 months ago.
• It will not be superfluous to check it for germination. To do this, you need to soak about 100 grains from different batches. This gives the percentage of germination. Practice shows that it is better not to use grain with an indicator of less than 90%.

Soaking

It is important to carefully study the question of "how to sprout barley" before you move on to practice. At first glance, the question is not too complicated, but there are pitfalls that can deprive you of a good half of the seedlings.

So, the first secret: you must first soak the grain in water at room temperature. To do this, follow these steps:

• Pour the grain into a container and fill it with water so that it completely covers it.
• Remove floating grains and debris, after which the water must be drained.
• Refill the grain with cool water.
• Disinfection. Since it is rather troublesome to germinate barley, care must be taken to ensure that mold does not spoil the seedlings. The simplest treatment helps to make barley more resistant. As an antiseptic, you can use iodine or ordinary potassium permanganate. For 10 liters of water, you need to add only 30 drops. The solution must be poured into a container with grain and kept for at least 3 hours. This does not affect germination, but allows most grains to give strong, excellent shoots.

Note

If you are interested in how to germinate barley, remember: correct and long soaking is the most important secret. It must be kept for at least 48 hours. During this time, you need to change the water every 6-12 hours and remove residual debris. Cold water is needed so that the grain does not begin to sprout ahead of time. This procedure will create conditions for germination.

Sprouting procedure

You will need to prepare a wide box or tray. Its size depends on the amount of grain. Layer thickness - no more than 6 cm. The washed wet grain is carefully distributed along the bottom of the tray. Be sure to cover it with a cotton cloth on top. It will not allow water to evaporate, but it will not interfere with ventilation. For this purpose, you can use a stretch film in which you need to make cuts. The first method is preferable, as it makes it possible to moisten the grain without removing the covering material and without disturbing the microclimate.

Main indicators

Speaking about how to germinate barley at home, it is necessary to note the importance of two points. The grain will hatch only at the optimum temperature and with sufficient moisture. The germination process should take place at a temperature of about 20 degrees. It needs to be stirred every day.grain and spray it with water from a spray bottle. Check the moisture of the covering material and do not allow it to completely dry out.

Basically, this is all you need to know about how to germinate barley at home. Usually already on the 2-3rd day you can see the first sprouts. How long should grain be kept? It depends on the goals you are pursuing.

Eating sprouts

Maximum benefit lies in sprouts that do not exceed 5mm in size. After the barley grains germinate, they need to be washed in cool water. Best of all, if you eat them right away. If there are unused sprouts left, place them in the refrigerator to slow growth. Strongly germinated seeds are tough and have a bitter taste. Be sure to rinse them before eating. Now you know how to germinate barley for food. But there are other ways to use it.

Sprouting for m alt

In order to activate the processes that are dormant in each grain, the soaking procedure is used. In fact, it imitates spring, when melt water and the sun stimulate the grain to grow. We talked about how to properly germinate barley for food, but it is also used to make m alt. In this case, the conditions need to be slightly changed.

Temperature and humidity

Requires low humidity, around 40%, to start germination. That is, the grains are slightly wetted and remain in this state until the development of the embryo begins. Nowincrease the humidity to 50%. This is achieved simply, you just need to increase the frequency of spraying. This is important information for those who are looking for options on how to germinate barley for m alt. In this case, it is necessary to control the humidity much more carefully.

The physiological processes during germination are also seriously affected by temperature. Ideally, it should be 14-15 degrees. At lower rates, development will slow down, and at higher rates, it accelerates and occurs unevenly. The duration of this process is 6-7 days. If all recommendations are followed, good m alt will germinate. Most people believe that the warmer it is in the room where the grain germinates, the faster it will germinate. But in order to get high-quality sprouts, you must definitely follow the described rules.

Processes inside the grain

To understand well how to germinate barley grains, you need to understand how the embryo develops. It first breaks through the fruit and seed coats, and then moves between them and the dorsal color shell. With artificial germination, the embryo develops only to a certain size. If the temperature is higher, then the germ sprouts from the top of the grain, which reduces the quality of the finished m alt.

Estimating the result

At the end of the germination process, the m alt can be judged by appearance. And first of all, you can appreciate the smell. Fresh cucumber aroma suggests that everything is done right. But sour fruity allows us to conclude that germinationm alt was performed incorrectly. Most often, this is too long soaking and excessive irrigation. Do not forget that grains need slight and constant moisture for proper growth and development. If the material is dried out, life in it will cease. At the same time, one should not forget that if moisture is excessive, then this is fraught with decay and mold growth.

The appearance of brown, withered sprouts indicates that they are sorely lacking in moisture. Increased brittleness of sprouts is the result of unsatisfactory operation of the agitator. The sprouts should definitely be turned several times every day.

Main Challenges

When germinating barley during the first four days, its chemical composition changes significantly. Based on this, it is necessary to control the appearance of the germinated grain and the degree of infection with microorganisms. This can usually be fairly easily assessed by the color of the grain. Bright, green spots, black or red specks are a sign of a bacterial infection. That is, you need to process the entire batch of grain, otherwise you will not get sprouts that are suitable for eating. The situation is similar with the batch that was intended for the manufacture of m alt.

Subsequent harvesting

Since it is impossible to germinate barley seeds at home too quickly, it is logical to make a larger batch at once. If the sprouts are intended to be eaten, then the leftovers are removed in the refrigerator, where they can be stored much longer. And the finished m alt is dried. ExceptIn addition, by changing the drying phases and temperature conditions, it is possible to obtain raw materials that give the drink a unique taste and color. This applies to both kvass and alcoholic beverages.

Instead of a conclusion

Today, a he althy lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. And without a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals, it is difficult to imagine the right diet - the basis of the basics. To do without pharmacy vitamin complexes, you can use sprouted grains. This is a real pantry of the most important trace elements. Moreover, any grain has useful properties, be it buckwheat, legumes or wheat, oats or other cereals. The principle of germination is the same for any of them, so if you master this technology, you can easily provide yourself with fresh sprouts every day. There is evidence that daily consumption of one spoonful of fresh sprouts gives the body a complete set of trace elements for the whole day.