Kernza® Malting Research
Perennial Pantry was awarded a Crop Research Grant by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in 2020. The conclusions of this research are available in a detailed report, linked below.
Through this grant, titled “Assessing Characteristics, Quality, and Flavor of Kernza® Malt,” we advanced new uses for Kernza by researching the crop’s malting characteristics, malt quality, and malt flavor traits. This research helped determine if malted Kernza has commercial viability, an important and necessary unknown in the efforts to increase acreage and build a supply chain around the promising and ecologically beneficial perennial crop. During our research, we also examined malted Kernza’s culinary applications while creating a robust Kernza baking foundation from which to understand the crop’s culinary opportunities.
This report covers Kernza’s supply chain, offering an introduction to the grain, grain cleaning methods, malting, brewing and distilling, milling, and baking. It shares detailed research results set within the non academic context of an entrepreneurial supply chain. We believe that the more information shared on Kernza, the greater the likelihood that the crop’s deep roots tangibly and legitimately impact Minnesota’s soils, rivers, and livelihoods.
Our aim in writing this report is to create an accessible introduction to Kernza, communicating our rigorous malting and culinary trials, while acknowledging that we are entrepreneurs, not academics. Our team sits in a dynamic location between academia and business. We are unique in being a vertically integrated, hands on business that actively processes Kernza from out of the combine to finished products. We rely on the basic research conducted by our colleagues and friends in academia, and seek to translate their foundational work into applied results.
You can download our report by clicking the following link:
Malting Kernza® Perennial Grain Report
Interested in a printed copy of our report? Please reach out to hello@perennial-pantry.com
