Investigation into Physicochemical and Sensorial Properties of Malt Drink Produced with Millet and Barley Malts

Malt drinks are a new generation of beers that are primarily consumed in Muslim countries. These drinks are typically produced using barley malt and in a similar manner to beer but without fermentation. Malt drinks have a poor taste and mouthfeel compared to beers due to the imbalance of their flavor elements in the absence of alcohol. There are several ways to overcome the poor taste of these drinks, among which the most important way is accompanying other malts with barley malt. Millet malt is a promising alternative to produce malt drinks due to its high nutritional value. In this study, malt drinks were made using barley and millet malts alone or in a mass ratio of 25: 75, 50: 50, 75: 25, and their physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics were determined. Also, some physical properties, including turbidity, color, and bitterness, have been examined during a month of storage at ambient temperature. The results showed increased millet malt decreased bitterness, color, turbidity, viscosity, and foam stability. Furthermore, while bitterness was gradually reduced during the storage, turbidity and color intensity were increased. In this regard, sensory evaluation was in line with instrumental measurements. Overall, the drink with an equal proportion of the barley and millet malts was faced with the highest acceptance. This study demonstrated that a combination of millet and barley malts could be an appropriate way to improve the physical and sensorial properties of malt drinks.