NDMA in Malt and Beer

NDMA (n-nitrosodimethylamine) in Malt/Beer

During the malting process, barley is forced to germinate, after which the grain is dried in kilns. This process freezes the sugar and flavour compounds for the brewing process. During the kiln drying process, nitrosamines may be formed in the grain, which could remain within the extract and still be present in the final brewed product. Many recently used techniques, minimise the formation of nitrosamines., However, low levels of these carcinogenic compounds still remain. Therefore, all malt used in the brewing process needs to be analysed for its nitrosamine content. It is important to monitor the final product as well as the malt, to help regulate the exposure of nitrosamines from the consumed liquid.

The Ellutia 200 Series Gas Chromatograph with an EL-WAX column was utilised alongside the 800 series Thermal Energy Analyser (TEA).