RED DEER, Alta. – Barley is typically a quality animal feed but recent research shows it is good for people too.
Researchers have told the Alberta Barley Commission to promote it as a health food with benefits similar to oats.
Barley contains more dietary fibre than wheat and the tocopherols in the outer layers of the kernel yield a vitamin E compound.
Two million tonnes of hulless barley are grown in Canada every year and most is fed to animals, said researcher Thava Vasanthan of the University of Alberta.
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The barley commission has devoted 20 percent of its research budget to food and industrial uses of barley.
Preliminary testing shows barley can be made into pasta and the beta glucans found in this grain make a good additive for beverages. The beta glucans are gradually digested in the intestines of people and animals.
“It is very good for Type II diabetics who need to gradually digest sugar into their system,” said Vasanthan.
Beta glucan reduces blood serum cholesterol and is thought to stimulate the immune system in the intestine.
Working at the food development centre at Leduc, Vasanthan came up with a barley pasta that could find its way to stores and restaurants.
A niche market could be created because barley is cheaper than durum and provides some unique health benefits. It could be sold for the same price or cheaper than durum pasta.
Waxy hulless barley was put through an extrusion process, which is like a giant corkscrew that grinds up the grain. The testers made spaghetti, macaroni and experimented with other shapes.
The early product was far from perfect.
Barley doesn’t contain gluten, the protein which holds bread and pasta together. Gluten was added at 20 percent and the pasta turned out better.
However, it is darker in color than they wanted and if the cooked barley pasta sat too long, it took on an unappetizing grey-brown tinge. The discoloration is thought to be due to the barley bran coatings, which contain compounds that oxidize. The color problem was lessened when pearled barley was used.
Other early problems showed the cooking loss was quite high but added gluten seemed to fix that. The barley pasta is cooked for 12 minutes and doesn’t absorb as much water as durum pasta.
Another idea is a sweetened barley drink that looks and tastes like mango juice. The water-based drink contains flavoring, sugar and five percent beta glucan powder.
Research is continuing because health drinks are growing in popularity, said Feral Temielli of the U of A. She wants to see more research that can produce beta glucan in large quantities in an economical way.
In 1998, the Alberta Barley Commission set aside $628,000 for research requests. Last year it contributed $500,000 toward a $1.6 million plant growth facility.
Over the past six years the commission has spent $3.2 million on research. Between 1993-98, about three-quarters of the research money has been shared equally in three areas – food, malt and industrial use, feed quality and plant breeding.
