Whole grain barley flakes are made by rolling whole barley grains. This process retains the germ, endosperm, and bran of the grain, thus maintaining a high content of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whole grain barley flakes are a nutritious alternative to the more common oat flakes and can be used in a variety of ways, including porridge, baking, and added to soups or salads for extra texture and nutritional value.

Nutritional Profile (per 100 grams).

• Calories Approximately 352 kcal.
• Protein About 10 grams, providing a good source of plant-based protein.
• Fat About 2 grams, with a small amount of unsaturated fats.
• Carbohydrates About 73 grams, with a high amount of fiber.
• Fiber About 17 grams, very high, contributing to digestive health and blood sugar control.
• Vitamins and Minerals Rich in B vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium.

Industrial Production Process

The production of whole grain barley flakes involves a process designed to transform whole barley grains into flattened flakes. This process not only makes the barley easier to cook and digest but also preserves the nutritional benefits of the whole grain. These flakes are commonly used in breakfast cereals, granolas, baking, and healthy snacks.

• Selection and cleaning. Barley grains are selected for quality and size, then cleaned to remove impurities such as stones and debris.
• Soaking. The grains are soaked in water to soften them and prepare them for rolling.
• Steaming. After soaking, the grains are steamed to make the rolling process more efficient and to begin the starch gelatinization process.
• Rolling. The steamed grains are then passed through rollers that flatten them into flakes.
• Drying. The barley flakes are dried to reduce moisture content and increase shelf life.
• Cooling. After drying, the flakes are cooled to room temperature to stabilize them.

Considerations

Whole grain barley flakes offer several health benefits, such as supporting cardiovascular health through cholesterol reduction, improving digestion, and potentially aiding in weight management and blood sugar regulation, thanks to their richness in soluble fiber.

Preparation May require slightly longer cooking times compared to oat flakes, but can be softened by soaking overnight.

Culinary Use Versatile, they can be used for nutritious breakfasts, as a base for energy bars, in baking, or as a natural thickener for soups and stews.

Allergies Contain gluten, so they are not suitable for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Studies

In barley there are functional ingredients interesting for human health such as beta-glucans, polysaccarids, the main components of the soluble part of dietary fiber. Their characteristic is to facilitate the regular function of the gastrointestinal tract, the homeostasis of glucose and the regulation of energy in the human body (2). They can prevent oncogenesis due to the protective effect against powerful genotoxic carcinogens (3).

But while a high beta-glucan content is positive for human health, the brewing industry that uses malt, needs a low concentration of beta-glucans as high levels can negatively affect malt filtration.

In addition, phenolic compounds found in barley, as well as producing an antioxidant effect in the human body, have probiotic and gastroprotective effects (4).

Another interesting aspect of the other ingredients present in barley concerns the effect that fermented barley extract produces on the colon mucosa. It has been noted that this extract can relieve constipation (5).

Barley studies

References__________________________________________________________________________

(1) FAO 2019

(2) Baldassano S, Accardi G, Vasto S. Beta-glucans and cancer: The influence of inflammation and gut peptide. Eur J Med Chem. 2017 Dec 15;142:486-492. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.09.013. Epub 2017 Sep 15. PMID: 28964548.

(3) Akramiene D, Kondrotas A, Didziapetriene J, Kevelaitis E. Effects of beta-glucans on the immune system. Medicina (Kaunas). 2007;43(8):597-606. 

Abstract. Beta-glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides. These glucose polymers are constituents of the cell wall of certain pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The healing and immunostimulating properties of mushrooms have been known for thousands of years in the Eastern countries. These mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides that mostly belong to group of beta-glucans. These substances increase host immune defense by activating complement system, enhancing macrophages and natural killer cell function. The induction of cellular responses by mushroom and other beta-glucans is likely to involve their specific interaction with several cell surface receptors, as complement receptor 3 (CR3; CD11b/CD18), lactosylceramide, selected scavenger receptors, and dectin-1 (betaGR). beta-Glucans also show anticarcinogenic activity. They can prevent oncogenesis due to the protective effect against potent genotoxic carcinogens. As immunostimulating agent, which acts through the activation of macrophages and NK cell cytotoxicity, beta-glucan can inhibit tumor growth in promotion stage too. Anti-angiogenesis can be one of the pathways through which beta-glucans can reduce tumor proliferation, prevent tumor metastasis. beta-Glucan as adjuvant to cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy demonstrated the positive role in the restoration of hematopiesis following by bone marrow injury. Immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies is a novel strategy of cancer treatment. These antibodies activate complement system and opsonize tumor cells with iC3b fragment. In contrast to microorganisms, tumor cells, as well as other host cells, lack beta-glucan as a surface component and cannot trigger complement receptor 3-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and initiate tumor-killing activity. This mechanism could be induced in the presence of beta-glucans.

(4) Charalampopoulos D, Pandiella SS, Webb C. Evaluation of the effect of malt, wheat and barley extracts on the viability of potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria under acidic conditions. Int J Food Microbiol. 2003 Apr 25;82(2):133-41. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1605(02)00248-9.

Abstract. In this work, the effect of cereal extracts, used as delivery vehicles for potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB), on the acid tolerance of the cells was evaluated under conditions that simulate the gastric tract. More specifically, the effect of malt, barley and wheat extracts on the viability of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri during exposure for 4 h in a phosphate buffer acidified at pH 2.5 was investigated. In the absence of cereal extracts all strains demonstrated a significant reduction in their cell population, particularly L. plantarum. The viability of L. plantarum was improved by approximately 4 log(10) cycles in the presence of malt and 3 log(10) cycles in the presence of wheat and barley. The survival of L. acidophilus and L. reuteri was increased by more than 1.5 and 0.7 log(10) cycle, respectively, upon addition of cereal extracts. In order to evaluate the contribution of the cereal constituents on cell survival, the individual effect of glucose, maltose and free amino nitrogen (FAN), which were added at concentrations that correlated to the reducing sugar and FAN content of the cereal extracts, was examined. The viability of L. plantarum was progressively improved as the maltose or glucose concentration increased; an increase by approximately 2 log(10) cycles was observed in the presence of 8.33 g/l sugar. The survival of L. acidophilus increased by more than 1 log(10) cycle, even at very low concentrations of maltose and glucose (e.g., 0.67 g/l), while L. reuteri stability was enhanced in the presence of maltose but no appreciable effect was demonstrated in the presence of glucose. Sugar analysis indicated that glycolysis was inhibited in all cases. Addition of tryptone and yeast extract, used as sources of FAN, enhanced L. acidophilus acid tolerance, but did not affect L. reuteri and L. plantarum. The results presented in this study indicate that malt, wheat and barley extracts exhibit a significant protective effect on the viability of L. plantarum, L. acidophilus and L. reuteri under acidic conditions, which could be mainly attributed to the amount of sugar present in the cereal extracts.

(5) Lim JM, Kim YD, Song CH, Park SJ, Park DC, Cho HR, Jung GW, Bashir KMI, Ku SK, Choi JS. Laxative effects of triple fermented barley extracts (FBe) on loperamide (LP)-induced constipation in rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jun 21;19(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2557-x. 

Abstract. Background: Constipation, a common health problem, causes discomfort and affects the quality of life. This study intended to evaluate the potential laxative effect of triple fermented barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) extract (FBe), produced by saccharification, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Weissella cibaria, on loperamide (LP)-induced constipation in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, a well-established animal model of spastic constipation....Results: In the present study, oral administration of 100-300 mg/kg of FBe exhibited promising laxative properties including intestinal charcoal transit ratio, thicknesses and mucous producing goblet cells of colonic mucosa with decreases of fecal pellet numbers and mean diameters remained in the lumen of colon, mediated by increases in gastrointestinal motility. Conclusion: Therefore, FBe might act as a promising laxative agent and functional food ingredient to cure spastic constipation, with less toxicity observed at a dose of 100 mg/kg.