Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Zaria Fozonne Ngabou Tchameni and Narinder Kaur

Abstract:
The fourth most widely grown cereal in the world is barley. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is primarily produced for feed and for malting to make alcoholic beverages all over the world. In wealthy nations as well as, more so in poor nations, for animal feeding, barley straw is utilized for animal bedding. The majority of estimates state that in order to satisfy the rising demand, cereal production must rise by 50% or even more over the next 50 years; as a result, crop breeding and agronomy benefit from an understanding of the mechanisms governing the development, growth, and yield of cereals, including barley. The high nutritional value, high dietary fiber content (β-glucan), and excellent malt quality of naked barley, along with the lack of a dehulling procedure, provide it certain advantages in the food business. Barley is also rich in other beneficial dietary fiber elements, such as arabinoxylans, which have the health benefits of both soluble and insoluble fibers and support and affect the immune system. More total dietary fiber is present in high-glucan food barley cultivars than in other common cereal grains including wheat, rye, and oats. Barley also contains phytochemicals, ferulic acid is the most prevalent of them, followed by coumaric acid and sinapic acid in smaller quantities.