 Diastatic power (DP), also called the "diastatic activity" or "enzymatic power", is a property of malts (grains that have begun to germinate) that refers to the malt's ability to break down starches into simpler fermentable sugars during the mashing process.Germination produces a number of enzymes, such as amylase, that can convert the starch naturally present in barley and other grains into sugar.The mashing process activates these enzymes by soaking the grain in water at a controlled temperature.