update on rye sprouts
Hi just an update on a point raised by Varda and Janet to the sprouting of the malted rye grains that i obtained from a local (AUS) brew shop. 
The Rye berries pictured have sprouted after 24 hours and exposed to the air for a further 12 hours. These were sold as Malted Rye but obiously these are still viable, most likely just rolled through malt powder rather than the berries themselves having been processed for any malt content. Most malt is commercially from Barley grain where the berries are sprouted and processed for the malt.
In my circumstance the malt was washed off in the soaking process, in brewing it would have become part of the wort. the water could have been saved and used or there maybe unmalted rye available at the brew shops. A point to remember is not to soak for to long as the grain can drown agood soak and the exposure to air does the trick and perhaps a few quick dunks to stop drying out to fast.
As an Aviculturalist ( bird keeper ) we had a problem at one time with seed coming in from Queensland that when soaked failed to sprout so wasnt viable, checks were made with the Agricultural department and we found that the seed had failed a sample test for weed seeds and was then irradiated which kills the viability of all the seeds in the bag the alternative was for the company to return the seed to its origin. obviosly the cheaper alternative was denaturing the grain, which is probably fine as long as you dont want to sprout it.
Kind regards Derek
Comments
Hi, Derek
Ok those Rye berries are viable for sprouting. In Dubai, i could never find rye berries save for an organic specialty health store. Unfortunately, i cannot get them to sprout; i've tried many times. I guess they were irradiated. I'd love to sprout rye and try them in your recipe.
wishing you all the best.
the only grain you can get is the irradiated kind. Islam forbids anyone making beer or alcohol, Importing viable seeds will be problamatic.
Well, you can make liquor out of many things besides grains, so i don't think that grains would be irradiated for that particular reason. Moreover, i've sprouted turkish improrted wheat with no problems, in addition to the naked barley from the same store from which i bought the rye. Mysterious.
Khalid
When I lived in Saudi the two biggest sellers at the largest Safeway Grocery store in the world in Jeddah were sugar and grape juice!
I remember that i succeeded once in initializing the sprouting process ,but something happened and they were spoiled. I guess sprouting rye can be tricky.
Khalid
Hi Khalid it seems that international trade or as here even interstate trade can dictate treatments for different foods and ingrediants. With the bird seeds it was because the sample contained or was contaminated with a small number of weed seeds that the consignment was required to undergo Iradiation and that was just for animal feed.
I remember that when we visited a flour mill during my apprenticeship there is all sorts of rubbish that comes in with consignments of wheat from farmers , sticks, stones, bottles ,cans and assortments of wildlife.
Sprouting does create the ideal climate for moulds and undesirable growths to establish so cleanliness is required all through the process.
regards Derek
Thanks for the info, Derek :)
Yes, that makes perfect sense.
Khalid
Hi Derek,
After reading your experiment results I tried the same with my grain. It did not sprout which is what I expected since the store I purchase my malted grains (rye, barley and wheat) from lists all their products based on the 'linder' # which confuses me still but has to do with temperature that controls the enzymes that control the nuances in flavor derived from each bucket of malted grain they sell.
Another fun bread adventure.
Thanks for the prompt!
Janet
for over 8 hours? 12 if I'm reading correctly.
Hi Mini I have had no problems with seeds being soaked for up to 24 hours especially the bigger grain seeds , I have heard reports of hot water being used in the process but im happy using cold tap water. An overnight soak will most likely be ideal and I wouldn't think longer than 24 hours will be good. I think that the re-dunking of the seed into water regularly will also help if a shorter time is employed.
regards Derek
my sprouts often but disagree with an initial long soaking under water beyond 8 hours... wonder if I can find that info. Study has to do with the rate of sprouting after initial 8 hour soak.
I also wonder if a pinch of healthy sourdough starter in the soaking water would keep the incidence of salmonella and e.coli contamination down. (instead of chlorine) Fight germs with germs. After reading this: https://sproutpeople.org/sprout-politics/guidelines-sprout-industry/
Hi Mini Thanks for the link for info quite a good read, the main problem seems to be with sprouts that are consumed raw rather than when incorporated into a baked product. The types of seed such as mung beans and alfalfa might also be more susceptible to contamination. The country of origin of food products is also of concern to me, with more and more cheap food items coming into Australia from China and east Asia when water for growing or even washing can be of dubious quality. regards Derek
Hi again Mini
Further to our thoughts on soaking, I was watching a program on TV where there was a traditional maltster that uses traditional methods for producing malt in the UK. He stated that he soaks his Barley grain for 24 hours then changes the water for a further 24 hour soak or until the grain has soaked up a moisture content of 45% then the grain is floored to sprout it then goes to the kiln and spread to depth of 10 inches and then heated to 90 degrees
I have also found this item on malting which may give a better description and may better clarify that the grain may not be under the water for all that time!
A Steep filling with grain.
5) Two or three immersions under water (or 'steeping') of the evenly sized grain, followed by drainage of the water, and a rest in air, to take place over a period of two to three days. This simple process is where the Maltster's skill comes into play. The correct combinations of water/air/water/etc must be given to result in the moisture content of the grain being raised to the required level of around 46%, and without 'drowning' it! At around 35% moisture content the embryo within each kernel of barley will start to germinate, but this is insufficient moisture to allow the complete modification of the starchy endosperm that the maltster desires. The starch content of the original dry grain is about 80% of its weight.
kind regards Derek
with malting and sprouting while I'm packing up here. Can't seem to concentrate, sorry, will have more time in a few days. I have to get it into my head we're after the malt, not the sprouts per say and you are right, Derek.