Barley Malt Treated with Enzymes Increases Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Activity

The purpose of this study was to improve the functionality of a healthy drink with examining the possibility of manufacturing different enzymes (alpha-, beta-, glucose-amylase) in barley malts (BM) produced in various malting periods. The study showed that enzyme treatment increased significantly total polyphenol content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity and hydroxly radical scavenging activity in malted liquid samples (MLS) which obtained from various malting periods. The highest of TPC were found in Gluco-24M with 1.981 mgTAE/ml, followed by Beta-24M and Alpha-72M with 1.878 mgTAE/ml and 1.845 mgTAE/ml, respectively. The DPPH result revealed that percent of inhibition increased by 71-75% compared to the control. No statistical difference was found between MLS obtained by 24 hr of malting (24 M) and 72 hr of malting (72 M) after enzyme treatment. In addition, an increasing of hydroxyl radical was in the same trend to the TPC and DPPH. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of enzyme treated samples was 1,5 times higher than the control. These results suggest the possibility of enzyme application to barley malts obtained in various germination periods for improving quality and functionality of barley malts.