Abstract
This paper is a review of the potential health benefits of barley melanoidins. Food melanoidins are still rather understudied, despite their potential antioxidant, antimicrobial, and prebiotic properties. Free radicals are villainous substances in humans produced as metabolic byproducts and causing cancers and cardiovascular diseases, and the melanoidins alleviate the effects of these free radicals. Malt is produced from cereal grains such as barley, wheat, and maize, and barley is predominantly used in beer production. Beer (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) is a widely consumed beverage worldwide and a good source of dietary melanoidins, which enhance the beers' flavor, texture, and sensorial properties. Melanoidins, the final products of the Maillard reaction, are produced at different stages during the brewing process. Beer melanoidins protect the cells from oxidative damage of DNA. The high reducing capacity of melanoidins can induce hydroxyl radicals from H2O2 in the presence of ferric ion (Fe3+). Melanoidins inhibit lipid peroxidation during digestion due to their chelating metal property. However, lower digestibility of melanoidins leads to less availability to the organisms but is considered to function as dietary fiber that can be metabolized by the lower gut microbiota and possibly incur prebiotic properties. Melanoidins promote the growth of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, preventing the colonization of potential pathogens. Barley is already popular through beer production and increasingly as a functional food. Considering this economic and industrial importance, more research to explore the chemical properties of barley melanoidins and corresponding health benefits as barley is warranted.
Highlights
Barley is the fourth most important cereal worldwide, used as human food and animal feed, and the most common raw material in the brewing industry
The health benefits of barley grains can be enhanced by heat treatment of barley grains during their processing
Dietary Maillard Reaction Products (MRP) has been studied sparsely when it comes to their impact on the gut microbiome and their fate in the lower digestive tract [61], while there is slightly more information published on their precursors, such as the Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) [62,63,64]
Summary
Barley is the fourth most important cereal worldwide, used as human food and animal feed, and the most common raw material in the brewing industry. Heat treatment of the malt produces melanoidins and has antioxidant properties, resulting from reducing sugars, and amino acids or proteins [42]. Carvalho et al [22] studied the antioxidant potential of three different barley malt produced at different kilning temperatures, 80–85◦C for pale malt, 130◦C for melano, 80 230◦C for black malt. They assayed the antiradical potential and reducing the power of these three barley malt using metmyoglobin assay, deoxyribose assay, and FRAP assay, respectively. Ultra filtrate fraction of black spent grain, HMW fraction (>100 kDa) dominate over LMW (
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
