Supermalt is a non-alcoholic, caffeine-free malt drink that was originally developed for the Nigerian Army in 1972.[1] It has a high content of B vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and has a balance of carbohydrates that supposedly allow instant absorption. It is dark brown in colour and has a sweet flavour. Supermalt may be purchased in 330ml glass bottles, or cans, sold individually or in their respective six-packs. Supermalt is now produced by Royal Unibrew A/S in Denmark. It is most popular among the African and African-Caribbean community.[1]
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Non-alcoholic malt drinks can be made by either the traditional brewing method, where barley is steeped into malt and then brewed into a creamy, rich consistency, or made like a soft drink by using malt extract. Supermalt uses traditional brewing skills for all its non-alcoholic batches.[2]
The main difference between non-alcoholic malt drinks and non-alcoholic beers is that malt drinks are usually sweet and always dark in color. The sweet notes are a combination of naturally occurring glucose, fructose, saccharose, maltose and maltotriose[citation needed].
Various products of Supermalt are sold worldwide in more than 70 countries,[2] and are mostly popular among the African and African-Caribbean communities in the UK. The primary consumer target group for malt drinks is the African-Caribbean population, which represents more than 1 million people in the UK, London being the largest single European market for malt drinks.
Supermalt is made solely from raw materials of vegetable origin, except for the B-vitamins, which are synthetic nature-identical ingredients. No animal products are used so Supermalt is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.[3]
Supermalt's nutritional values (compared to milk, orange juice, cola and beer):
Per 100 ml* | Supermalt® | Milk (semi-skimmed) | Orange Juice | Cola | Beer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calories (kJ/kcal) | 270/67 | 204/49 | 182/43 | 168/40 | 162/39 |
Fat (g) | 0.00 | 1.60 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Carbohydrates (g) | 15.00 | 4.90 | 9.90 | 10.10 | 2.70 |
Proteins (g) | 0.80 | 3.50 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
Vitamin B1 (mg) | 1.40 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Vitamin B2 (mg) | 0.80 | 0.18 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.03 |
Vitamin B3 (mg) | 7.40 | 0.10 | 0.30 | - | 0.30 |
Vitamin B5 (mg) | 1.50 | - | - | - | - |
Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.70 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
Vitamin C (mg) | 5.00 | 1.00 | 39.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Calcium (mg) | 8.00 | 123.00 | 10.00 | 20.00 | 7.00 |
Iron (mg) | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 0.10 | 0.00 |
*Variation may occur in each category.[4]
Water, barley malt (7,6% of the total liquid), barley, sugar, colour (E150c), carbon dioxide, liquorice, vitamins (Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1), Pantothenic acid (B5), Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin (B6)).[7]