All that handling of barley, getting it soaking-wet and then air-drying it, tricks the barley embryo into thinking that it’s time to start growing. It triggers a chemical cascade, starting with the production of a hormone called gibberellic acid, which then courses through the aleuron layer. That’s a signal to those cells that they should start making enzymes—amylases that can break down starches and proteases that can break down the protein coatings around those starches.
