Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers for barley malt fingerprinting

Barley is the cereal lar excellence in the production of malt for beer and other alcoholic beverages. In this work, biochemical (hordein A-PAGE) and m olecular (RAPDs AFLPs) markers have been compared for their efficiency in m alt fingerprinting. To overcome the difficulties related to the quality of the DNA extracted from grain malt, malted coleoptiles are proposed as usefu l tissue for the extraction. On the basis of our data, we exclude a fingerp rinting system based on A-PAGE hordein analysis because of the degradation of these proteins during the malting process. Comparing molecular markers f or their efficiency and repeatability, we indicate AFLP analysis based on t emplate DNA extracted from the tissue of grain malt coleoptile as an excell ent tool for malt fingerprinting. (C) 1999 Academic press.