Nutritional Value of Germinated Barley

Abstract

A controlled germination procedure was developed to test for changes in the nutrient balance and quality of barley, and to produce a meal that would be of value as a supplement in a variety of human foods. Barley was soaked in 3 volumes of water for 6h. The seeds were sprouted at 22°C in the light or dark to give at least 90% germination. Resulting sprouts (7cm) were frozen, freeze-dried and ground. Analyses of the meals showed increases in ash, fibre, fat, protein, ascorbic acid, zinc and phosphorus, whether grown in the light (84h) or dark (120h). As well, light germination resulted in increased content of calcium and iron, while dark germination increased riboflavin. Phytic acid levels were reduced by germination. Protein quality evaluations showed improvements in the protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR), and net protein utilization (NPU) for the germinated barley. In general, preferred results were obtained by sprouting barley in the dark. Incorporation of meal from the dark-germinated barley into muffins produced an attractive, palatable nutritious product.