RED DEER – It is time for barley to become a health food rather than a lower-value animal feed, researchers told a recent barley symposium in Red Deer.
Barley is high in beta glucan, a substance proven to lower blood serum cholesterol and improve diabetic diets because it aids fat and sugar digestion.
But putting it through the mill has produced special challenges, said Linda Malcolmson of the Canadian International Grains Institute.
“We have to find methods of processing that do not damage the valuable components of the grain,” she said.
Read Also
Dry summer conditions can lead to poor water quality for livestock
Drought conditions in the Prairies has led to an decrease in water quality, and producers are being advised to closely monitor water quality for their animals.
Barley contains higher levels of beta glucan and starch, so it grinds differently than wheat and yields less flour. It is also a stickier flour, so new milling techniques are required to produce a fine, flowing flour that food processors like.
Barley bran is brittle and shatters when milled, contaminating the flour with bran particles and producing a darker flour. Consumers often associate a darker colour with higher nutritive value, but processors prefer a whiter blend.
Hulless barley is the preferred milling variety.
“The production of hulless barley is increasing and breeders are coming on stream with adjusted starch levels,” Malcolmson said.
The next step is for health officials to recognize barley as a functional food, said Kelley Fitzpatrick of the University of Manitoba’s Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
Canada tends to be conservative in recognizing functional food and its human health benefits, she added. While the United States recognizes 17 disease reduction claims from specific food products, Canada has five generic claims.
Functional food is a marketing term claiming some inherent health benefits from food that reduces the risks of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions.
Fitzpatrick said the health business is big business.
“This is where the long-term value is for agriculture.”
American consumers spend about $150 billion US a year on food with promises as varied as improved heart health and reduced cancer risk, while $42.2 billion is spent annually in the European Union, according to 1999 figures. Functional food appears in cereal, beverage and dairy products.
