The largest industrial factory for production of malt and malt products has been launched in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.
The Barekat Foundation has signed a 49% partnership agreement with the company, one of the biggest malt factories in the Middle East that will ultimately have the capacity to produce 12,000 tons of malt extract and 3,000 tons of malt products each year.
Annually, 10,000 tons of malt extract at a cost of over $25 million is imported, said Mohammad Rostami, director general of the ‘Shahd-e-Zagros’ company. Self-sufficiency in a few years in the production of malt products will be achieved, he said, quoted by IRNA.
Over the next three years with the collaboration of the foundation, the company’s annual production will reach 8,000 tons.
He said the factory will also help create jobs and alleviate unemployment in the province which is 14% at present.
The foundation is dedicated to creating entrepreneurs, building schools and infrastructural facilities in remote and underdeveloped regions. It is affiliated to the Setad, a special office for executing the decrees of the late Imam Khomeini in helping the underprivileged.
It has built numerous economic development projects, including schools, roads, housing units and mosques, in addition to supplying water and electricity.
Uses of Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as “malting.”
In Iran, a sweet paste made entirely from germinated wheat called ‘Samanu’, is prepared for Nowruz (Persian New Year) usually in a large pot.
A plate or bowl of Samanu is a traditional component of the ‘Haft seen’ table, an arrangement of seven symbolic items displayed at Nowruz, symbolizing affluence. Traditionally, women cook it from late in the evening till the daylight, singing songs. In modern times, making Samanu often becomes a family gathering.
Malted grain is used to make flavored drinks and baked goods, such as malt loaf, bagels and rich tea biscuits. Various cereals are malted, though barley is the most common. A high-protein form of malted barley is often a label-listed ingredient in blended flours typically used in the manufacture of yeast breads and other baked goods.
