A barley HvMYB10 allele sets the roast-aroma intensity of ale malt

An anthocyanin transcription factor turns out to be a switch for caramel malt.

Tai Yin^1†, Robbie Waugh²

* Equal contribution · † Corresponding author

B.E.E.R. 647, 298–301 (2026)

Received: 1 June 2026

Accepted: 18 August 2026

Published: 15 September 2026

DOI: 10.1038/sbeer-026-18481-3

Abstract

The roast aroma of ale malt is usually credited to kilning, yet cultivar differences under the same process can exceed threefold. We mapped a gain-of-function allele of the seed-coat colour gene HvMYB10 that upregulates accumulation of Maillard precursors during kilning. Cultivars carrying the allele show significantly higher 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and maltol after kilning at 80 °C. A molecular marker can select “aroma malt” directly in a breeding generation.

Subject: Hops and raw materials

Maltsters know that “some barley is fragrant and some is bland”, but they have lacked a genetic handle1. HvMYB10 has been discussed only as a seed-coat pigment gene; we show it is also a major locus for kilning aroma.

Barley field and malt — Fig. 1 | Barley grain and field. A gain-of-function allele of HvMYB10 markedly raises maltol accumulation after kilning.

Methods

GWAS panel n = 286; aroma quantified by GC–MS.
Transgenic confirmation in a Golden Promise background.

Data availability. SNP and phenotype matrices are in the supplementary data.

Acknowledgements. China Barley Industry Technology System.

Author contributions. Y.T. designed the study and wrote the paper; R.W. supplied the panel.

Competing interests. The authors declare no competing interests.

Authors and affiliations

1. College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
2. James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK

Corresponding author: Tai Yin (tyin@yzu.edu.cn)

References

1. Hough, J. S. et al. Malting and Brewing Science (Springer, 1982).
2. Cockram, J. et al. The genetic control of barley grain colour. J. Exp. Bot. 61, 1–12 (2010).