Dry Fractionation Methods to Produce Barley Meals Varying in Protein, Beta-Glucan, and Starch Contents

Barley contains several valuable nutrients including beta-glucan (BG), protein, and starch. Each has additional value when concentrated. Dehulled and hulless barleys were sequentially pearled for 1 to 6 cycles, each with 8% removal. The 6 pearled kernels and the initial kernel were subjected to impact or abrasive milling, followed by sieving with a series of U.S. standard sieves. Results of pearling fines show that protein was most concentrated in the outer area, and decreased all the way toward the core area (near 100% surface removal). Starch showed an opposite trend. BG followed the starch trend, but reached a peak at about 60% surface removal. Upon milling and sieving of kernel samples, genotype and particle size had significant effects on nutrient contents in sieved fractions. The pearling cycle had significant effects on protein and starch contents but little effect on BG content, while the milling method had significant effects on protein and BG contents but little on starch content. Abrasive milling produced sieved fractions with much higher variation in protein content than impact milling, but the opposite effect was observed for shifting BG content. Mass frequency influenced more on recovery rates of nutrients than their concentrations in individual fractions. When the recovery rate was also taken into consideration, pearling alone was found to be the most effective way to enrich protein in barley kernels. However, a combination of pearling with the method of milling and sieving was needed for maximally shifting BG and starch contents. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Although dry fractionation is the method of choice for separating barley into fractions with varying levels of protein, BG, and/or starch, selection of a specific single or combined method is needed for achieving maximum shifts of a particular nutrient. Such information is significant to those who use dry fractionation methods to enrich protein, BG, and/or starch.