Aside from the customary rapid analysis methods for water and protein as well as physical tests, the visual inspection of barley, i.e., the evaluation of the external characteristics of the grain, also remains a meaningful method for assessing barley.
This method evaluates the varietal purity of a lot of barley by means of the HCl test.
Barley intended for the production of malt is to be evaluated on the basis of the characteristics described below.
This test detects the presence of most varieties of two-rowed and multi-rowed winter barley possessing a green aleurone layer. This test is based upon the reaction between HCl and the green pigment, which turns red in its presence.