Random Question About Barley/Malt in Cereal

GFSarahSmiles

As I sit here at the computer, munching my Cocoa Pebbles like a 4 year-old and wishing I had more options, I wonder: What does the barley/malt do in cereal that makes it so essential?

I've read tons of cereal boxes like Crispix, Corn Chex, Rice Checks, etc (didn't bother to read any of the wheat-based ones) and most of those, being rice and/or corn based, seem to have just barley/malt as the unsafe ingredient. I figure it must do something unique if pretty much every "normal" cereal on the market contains it, so I was just wondering if anyone knew exactly what the barley and/or malt does in cereal.

Does it act as a binding agent? Does it give it a glossy or otherwise appealing look? A nicer texture? What does it do? What function does it serve? Or is it only a result of manufacturers conspiring against Celiacs for decades to leave us with only children's cereals unless we can afford the specialty stuff?

Question

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Sarah Very Happy

Birthday: December 6, 1982
Gluten-Free Birthday: March 2, 2004
Remission & Dx Confirmed: March 30, 2004

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

Sarah...just for grins...I emailed a food scientist that I know. Maybe she'll have the answer. She has worked with many companies formulating recipes for their products. She holds cooking class every few months - she does GF cooking classes too because she has a friend with CD. As a matter of fact, she's having a GF class on May 26th. I need to get that on my calendar before I forget. She said she'd pencil me in - I best not disappoint her - particularly if she answers the question Smile

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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

Country923 · Joined: 09 Apr 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Rhode Island

Hi Al,

You are so funny!!!!! I do the same thing sitting next to my computer eating. A no no huh? Sad

As far as the malt in cereal goes, I find that if I eat any of the cereals with it in it, I have such bad cramps throughout the day. It much be bad for us Celiacs huh? Evil or Very Mad

but then again, maybe that is what makes it taste so good Very Happy

ElaineT · Joined: 18 Mar 2005 Posts: 14

It's slightly sweet too. Tasty stuff, actually. I used to love malted milkshakes and malted milk balls before I learned that I'm allergic to both milk and malt.
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ElaineT
Newly diagnosed

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

GFSarahSmiles · Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject:

Haha!

I'm doing it again. Eating at the computer. Cool

I did have a bit of an accident once. Three years ago I spilled chocolate milk (the main staple of my diet) all over my LAPTOP! I panicked! From what I could tell, I had shorted out the keyboard and stuff, so I did the only thing I knew to do: I popped off all of the keys and grabbed the bottle of denatured alcohol and lots of cotton balls, cloths, q-tips, etc. I don't know how much time I spent on it, but I cleaned that sucker inside and out. I had gotten chocolate milk all inside of it, so I cleaned EVERYTHING I could as thoroughly as humanly possible. Then I put him all back together and prayed as I pushed the power button. Success!!! I don't know how I did it ... but somehow it DID actually come up and work as if nothing had happened (except that I reversed two keys - but that was an easy fix Razz

). That was my first computer of my own. My little Dell Latitude CPi - 266 MHz processor, 64 MB RAM, an amazing 4 GIG Hard Drive! Such power! That kind of raw power in a computer is just as astounding now as it was when I bought it in 2001 when it came off a business lease. But he was my baby for a couple of years, and I still have him. I doubt anyone would buy a 266 these days, and I'm too attached to sell him, even if I don't have the patience to try to use him for much anymore.
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Sarah Very Happy

Birthday: December 6, 1982
Gluten-Free Birthday: March 2, 2004
Remission & Dx Confirmed: March 30, 2004

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

LOL!! Up until a few years ago...I still had my 1st computer. A Radio Shack TRS-80 16k ram (yes K...not mb), a cassette recorder for storage. I bought it my 2nd year of Tech school 1982. Yes - I am old Laughing

Let's see - lets rummage around underneath my computer desk...Ah here's a moldie oldie...A Mac Performa 6400. Soon my PowerMac G4/400mhz will be joining it cuz my Mac Mini will be showing up next week. YAY!!!!

We won't even start on my guitar collection...LOL
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

Jeannine · Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 160

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

OK Gang...here's the answer we've all been waiting for...

Hi Aneh,

I was asked a question on one of my gluten free discussion boards and I
thought you might know the answer.

Why do most of the mainstream cereal makers add barley and/or malt to
their essentially gluten free cereals (Rice Krispies, Rice Chex, Corn
Chex, etc...). It makes it very difficult for us to get "off the shelf"
cereals. There are options...Natures Path GF lineup are some of my
favorites.

My guess is...flavor.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
Al

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Hi Al,
Sorry about the delay to answer your question.
You are correct Malted barley and malt syrup are used for flavor. They also
contribute some B vitamins, calcium and protein, and help with the shaping
process of the cereal, and color.
I hope this helps!

Aneh

There...straight from a food scientists mouth...err...fingers Very Happy

_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

GFSarahSmiles · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 12:49 am Post subject:

Sorry I haven't even posted on my own thread in a while! I'm in the middle of exams right now, so that sorta takes priority right now & there have been a few other "obstacles" in this last week, none of which would be of particular interest here. At any rate, I have been reading the new posts, just not taking the time to comment on them.

I still can't believe all the connections Al appears to have. Exclamation

Thanks for taking the time to look that stuff up and checking around with all of your sources.

One thing, however, still remains unclear. It looks to be unanimous that the barley adds flavor. My fuzziness is here: the GF cereals (with out the barley or malt crap) taste just as good as the other stuff, doesn't it? It's been so long that I don't remember what the glutenated cereals tasted like, but I don't remember thinking that my new GF cereals were not as good. IF, then (notice the IF), our GF cereals taste perfectly fine without poison, I mean barley and malt, then why the heck does everybody put it in there? I don't know what they put in GF cereal in place of the poison, but it serves the same purpose just as well.

All I'm doing really is moaning and complaining because I want a mainstream cereal besides my fruity and cocoa pebbles. I can't afford to pay $4 or $5 for a box of better (or at least different) cereal that is half or less than half the size of the boxes of pebbles that are something like $2.50 or >$3.00. That's twice the price AND half the product. Some manufacturer out there just needs to cut the barley and malt crap and give us something to switch out with our pebbles for a little variety.

Thanks. I'll step down off my soap box now. Sorry.
_________________
Sarah Very Happy

Birthday: December 6, 1982
Gluten-Free Birthday: March 2, 2004
Remission & Dx Confirmed: March 30, 2004

Jeannine · Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 160

Jeannine · Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 160

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

GFSarahSmiles · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 1:25 am Post subject:

Thanks for all the input guys. Smile

I can't seem to find Natures Path or Health Valley products around here. Maybe I'm just being blind or something, but I'd certainly hope that as much as I look, I'd see something like that just jump off the shelf at me if it was there. However, Envirokids is plentiful around here and I love it! I love their cereals and I almost always have one of their cereal bars in my bag. The cereal's so expensive though that I can just buy it occasionally as a sort of special treat. It's so good (and such a small box) that I can often eat it in two days Rolling Eyes

hence another reason for it being just an occasional treat.

I hate to just preach to the choir though. I mean honestly, what good does it do for everyone else, ya know? I'd much rather preach to the big companies, and moreover, I'd rather the big companies actually LISTEN if I were to preach to them. Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles are fine and all, but sometimes I just feel like all I'm eating is artifical colors, artificial flavors, artifical colors, a touch of rice in there somewhere, and more artificial flavors & colors - sometimes it just feels like that's all I'm eating, and I want more. More actual nutrition in a cereal, more variety - just choice in the whole matter of affordable breakfast cereals.

But I guess we'll just be out of luck until some genius sitting up in his corporate office on the top of a sky-scraper realizes that "hey, there's this growing population of people who can't eat the barley we put in our cereals; and maybe since even some people who can eat it are now choosing not to because it's a pretty healthy diet, maybe, just maybe, we should try taking the barley out of our cereal and replacing it with something else that does not contain this thing called gluten and see if there is a change in our sales and customer satisfaction ratings. It would be so easy; let's try it just to see."
_________________
Sarah Very Happy

Birthday: December 6, 1982
Gluten-Free Birthday: March 2, 2004
Remission & Dx Confirmed: March 30, 2004