Tocopherols and tocotrienols in barley oil prepared from germ and other fractions from scarification and sieving of hulless barley

Phytosterols, tocopherols and tocotrienols contents in various barley oils were investigated. 2 cultivars of hulless barley (Doyce and Merlin) were scarified to abrade the outer layers of the kernels (germ, pericarp and aleurone). The resulting scarification fines fractions were then separated into 4 particle-size subfractions using sieves. Each of the size subfractions was then extracted with hexane to produce a barley oil and the levels of free phytosterols, tocopherols and tocotrienols in the various barley oils were compared. For both cultivars, the fraction with the largest particle size (0.717–1.410 mm) had the highest oil yields (11–12%). Visual examination of this fraction indicated that it consisted almost entirely of small fragments (approx. 1 mm) of the germ portion of the kernel. The levels of tocopherols were highest in the largest particle-size fraction and their proportion decreased in the fractions with decreasing particle size. In contrast, the levels of tocotrienols were very low in the largest particle-size fraction and increased in the fractions with decreasing particle sizes. Intact germ was also prepared by hand-dissection, extracted and analysed. Results indicated that the approx.1 mm germ fragments obtained by scarification-sieving consisted almost entirely of germ fragments, but these fragments represented only 17.5 and 23.7% of the total mass of the germ, from Merlin and Doyce, respectively. It is suggested that it may be possible to control the concentrations of tocopherols and tocotrienols in barley oil by controlling the particle size of the feedstock used to extract the oil. Germ fragments isolated by such processes could potentially be used as functional food ingredients or extracted to yield oils enriched in health-promoting phytosterols, tocopherols or tocotrienols.