Praising the virtues of barley

EFSA's health claims concern increasing daily consumption of fibre from barley, especially beta-glucan. Barley typically has the highest beta-glucan content, prompting the food industry to produce new products with ingredients from barley grain that are rich in this fibre component. However, it can be difficult to preserve beta-glucan in the grain during traditional milling procedures. As a result, a lot of barley must be eaten to achieve the desired health benefits.

With EU funding, the 'Boosted barley utilisation and consumption in the EU for better health' (BARLEYBOOST) project aims to create products with high beta-glucan content that consumers will want to buy.

To achieve this, project members have begun developing a monitoring tool and new milling technology. These are designed to isolate beta-glucan and record its content in barley and introduce methods for innovative product development.

During the first reporting period, project partners delivered reports on barley quality properties and the most optimal milling technology. They also analysed the market potential of health-promoting products.

Barley grain tissues were isolated and various samples underwent laboratory testing. This has led to the creation of a method to assess grain tissue amounts. A web-based method is also being planned. In addition, a prototype milling technology has been developed.

BARLEYBOOST intends to get consumers and agro-food producers to see the economic, nutritional and health benefits of beta-glucans. The development of related cutting-edge technology will also optimise barley mills throughout Europe.