Commercial Barley Research Articles

Screening of barley breeding lines for resistance to common root rot disease through incidence and severity parameters

Cochliobolus sativus, the causal agent of common root rot (CRR), is a devastating fungal pathogen of barley that can cause significant yield losses worldwide. The development of resistant cultivars has proven difficult, therefore, in this work, CRR-resistant barley germplasm was developed by crossing three resistant-by-susceptible cultivars currently used in Europe and West Asia. Following greenhouse evaluations of 150 doubled haploid lines derived from these crosses, 40 lines were evaluated under artificial infection conditions using incidence and severity parameters during two consecutive seasons. Data showed significant differences among barley lines with a continuum of resistance levels ranging from highly susceptible to resistant which were consistent in both seasons. However, five promising lines had slightly lower CRR disease than the others. Additionally, significant differences (P <0.05) in mean incidence and severity values were found among lines, with values being consistently higher in the susceptible ones. However, CRR severity increased linearly as incidence increased in both seasons. All together, the present study suggests that, the newly identified resistance lines can serve as potential donors for ongoing CRR resistance breeding program to generate high-yielding commercial barley cultivars, and that the positive correlation between CRR parameters I and S may be beneficial for many types of studies on this disease.

Improving pedigree selection in applied breeding of barley populations

The objectives of this study were (a) to compare the effectiveness of the two methods of pedigree selection in barley: the ear-to-row classical pedigree method and the honeycomb method and (b) the evaluation of the selection criteria of the honeycomb methodology. Five F12 lines developed by classical pedigree method were used as checks in order to compare seven lines developed by honeycomb methodology. Five honeycomb pedigree lines were selected by PYI basic selection criterion of honeycomb methodology and two more (rejected by PYI) were selected by YC, a new criterion proposed for improving selection of high yielding plants in honeycomb design. Also, the original local population from which all these lines were derived and two commercial barley cultivars were used as the basic checks. All genotypes selected by classical and honeycomb pedigree method out yielded the original local population. Many of them reached or out yielded the commercial cultivars used as checks and thus both classical and honeycomb pedigree methods were able to promote some homozygous genotypes in order to be used as new cultivars. Yield performance of progeny lines selected by classical pedigree method was better than honeycomb’s. Only when YC was used as selection criterion honeycomb pedigree lines showed high yielding performance. Comparing PYI and YC selection criteria, it seems that the second is better for promoting high yielding and stable lines for next generations to be used as future new cultivars. Grain yield and bulk density are safer traits than 1000-kernel weight, for efficient selection that ensures high and stable yields.

A fitness cost resulting from Hamiltonella defensa infection is associated with altered probing and feeding behaviour in Rhopalosiphum padi.

Many herbivorous arthropods, including aphids, frequently associate with facultative endosymbiotic bacteria, which influence arthropod physiology and fitness. In aphids, endosymbionts can increase resistance against natural enemies, enhance aphid virulence and alter aphid fitness. Here, we used the electrical penetration graph technique to uncover physiological processes at the insect-plant interface affected by endosymbiont infection. We monitored the feeding and probing behaviour of four independent clonal lines of the cereal-feeding aphid Rhopalosiphum padi derived from the same multilocus genotype containing differential infection (+/-) with a common facultative endosymbiont, Hamiltonella defensa Aphid feeding was examined on a partially resistant wild relative of barley known to impair aphid fitness and a susceptible commercial barley cultivar. Compared with uninfected aphids, endosymbiont-infected aphids on both plant species exhibited a twofold increase in the number of plant cell punctures, a 50% reduction in the duration of each cellular puncture and a twofold higher probability of achieving sustained phloem ingestion. Feeding behaviour was also altered by host plant identity: endosymbiont-infected aphids spent less time probing plant tissue, required twice as many probes to reach the phloem and showed a 44% reduction in phloem ingestion when feeding on the wild barley relative compared with the susceptible commercial cultivar. Reduced feeding success could explain the 22% reduction in growth of H. defensa-infected aphids measured on the wild barley relative. This study provides the first demonstration of mechanisms at the aphid-plant interface contributing to physiological effects of endosymbiont infection on aphid fitness, through altered feeding processes on different quality host plants.

СКРИНИНГ ОБРАЗЦОВ МЕСТНЫХ ЯЧМЕНЕЙ НА ЧУВСТВИТЕЛЬНОСТЬ К ФОТОПЕРИОДУ

Background. Earliness of barley is an important trait for increasing the yield of this crop, especially in regions where abiotic factors are determinant. This work is dedicated to the identification of the eam8 gene in local barley accessions from the VIR collection. It would be possible to find sources of weak sensitivity to photoperiod to be used in breeding practice. Materials and methods . In Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of the N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR, St. Petersburg), 1460 local barley accessions from 26 countries with a short photoperiod of vegetation were studied. These countries are included in five centers of barley diversity: the Abyssinian, the Near East, the Mediterranean, the Central Asian, and the New World. The experiments were performed in the THERMO 818 (3751) climate chamber. Barley seeds were planted in cuvettes with moistened cotton wool. After the emergence of shoots, they were placed in the climate chamber where the plants remained until the stage of the second leaf with the 10-hour photoperiod and the temperature regime of a low daytime (+8°C) and high nighttime (+25°C) temperatures. Yellow color of a plantlet was the marker for the expression of the eam8 gene. Two varieties were used as references: 'Mari Svalofs' (k-19354; var. nutans Schubl.; Genotype eam8eam8) insensitive to photoperiod, and 'Belogorsky' (k-22089; var. pallidum Ser., var. ricotense Regel; Genotype Eam8Eam8) responding to a short day. Results and conclusions . Phenotypic screening of barley samples from 26 countries with a short photoperiod resulted in identification of 1379 forms with the Eam8Eam8 genotype (sensitive to a short day), 44 accessions with the eam8eam8 genotype (insensitive to a short photoperiod), and 37 heterogeneous accessions. Local barleys from Dagestan demonstrated the highest occurrence of forms with the eam8 gene (15.9%). The Near East and Central Asian centers of barley diversity were notable for the occurrence of local accessions with the recessive allele of the Eam8 gene. Accessions with the eam8eam8 genotype and heterogeneous forms can serve as sources of earliness in regions with short-light days. In order to include such sources in commercial barley cultivar breeding programs, they should be searched for in countries with a mountainous landscape and a short photoperiod.

Preliminary evaluation of durum wheat (Triticum Turgidum Subsp Durum) during malting process

Background and objectivesEffects of 45 and 70°C final malt drying temperature on a traditional Italian durum wheat (SM45, SM70) were evaluated for the malt quality parameters and the wort characteristics when employed in rate of 40% with commercial barley malt (BM), using a common wheat (CWM) as a control test.FindingsDrying temperatures and wheat genotypes were major contributors to variability in malt quality parameters. SM45 and SM70 were characterized by reduced protein and starch degradation, lower solubility for beta‐glucans (BG), and high levels of water‐extractable arabinoxylans (WEAX) compared to CWM. Alpha‐ and beta‐amylases, endo‐β‐glucanases, and endo‐1,4‐β‐d‐xylanase activities detected on SM45 were higher than SM70 and CWM, likely due to the combined effects of the cultivar characteristics and the low temperatures used during the kilning phase. When SM4540% and SM7040% were used, the derived worts have had lower color, FAN levels, saccharification time, beta‐glucans (WBG), and viscosity than CWM40%.ConclusionsMalting conditions and genotypes affect the malt quality attributes, mainly in terms of extractable compounds and enzyme activities. The use in mashing of 40% of durum wheat malt results in low viscosity and reduced availability of BG.Significance and noveltyThese first results indicate that durum wheat malt has good characteristics and can be suitable for brewing purposes.

Comparison of the Quality Characteristics of Commercial Barley Malts in Korea

Comparison of the Quality Characteristics of Commercial Barley Malts in Korea

Prevalence and levels of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in commercial barley and wheat grain produced in Southern Brazil: an eight-year (2008 to 2015) summary

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most important diseases of barley and wheat in Brazil. The disease causes yield losses and contaminates grain with mycotoxins produced by the fungus, mainly deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA). The objective of this study was to summarize the results of 16,487 analyses of DON and ZEA in barley and wheat commercial grain produced in Brazil from 2008 to 2015 using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. For barley, DON and ZEA were detected in 67% and 41% of the samples, respectively, but 19% and 18% were above the maximum tolerated limits (MTL = 1250 μg/kg for DON and 100 μg/kg for ZEA). For wheat, DON and ZEA were detected in 73 and 38% with 30% and 9% of the samples above the MTL (1250 μg/kg for DON and 200 μg/kg for ZEA). The overall mean concentration of DON was 737 μg/kg in barley and 660 μg/kg in wheat. The mean yearly DON levels varied less in barley (446 μg/kg to 1114 μg/kg) compared to wheat (346 μg/kg to 1274 μg/kg). For the latter, a high peak of DON was found in 2014 when 58% of the samples were above the MTL and the toxin levels averaged 1274 μg/kg across all samples. The mean yearly concentration of ZEA was 138 and 111 μg/kg for barley and wheat, respectively, with the highest prevalence and concentration reported in 2008 and 2009, for both crops. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive summary of DON and ZEA contamination in barley and wheat in Brazil for almost a decade of monitoring. Continuous assessment and close inspection of highly contaminated batches are essential to ensure food safety and mitigate the risk that these mycotoxins can cause to human and animal health.

Evaluation of Host Reaction and Yield Performance of Malt Barley Cultivars to Net Blotch, Pyrenophora teres in Bale Highlands, Ethiopia

The host reaction and yield performance of malt barley cultivars to net blotch, Pyrenophora teres disease was tested under natural infection of field at Sinana Agricultural Research Center (SARC) in Maher seasons of 2015. This study was designed to 12 commercial malt barley cultivars under field condition in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two replications. The significant differences in severity (%), Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC), grain yield (kg/ha), TKW (gm) and Days to Heading (DH) among the malt barley cultivars were observed. The HB-52 (4-68%), HB-1533 (12-54%) and Miscal-21 (4-68%) were scored the lowest ranges of severity index (%), where as IBON-174/03 (639.5%), HB-52 (611.4%) and HB-1533 (593.4%) were recorded the lowest means of AUDPC. The superior yield responses were obtained from HB-52 (1636kg/ha), Taveller (1647.5kg/ha), Miscal-21 (1775.5kg/ha) and Bekoji-1 (1752kg/ha) as compared to other cultivars. The disease severity % was gradually higher as the plant ages from seedling to maturity in all cultivars were tested to net blotch disease. Phonotypical scoring of net blotch on malt barley cultivar with yield performances were in to four categories; the yielder cultivar in the presence of net blotch disease pressure (Traveller, Bekoj-1 and Grace), both disease resistance and yielder cultivar (HB-52, Miscal-21), only net blotch resistance cultivar (HB-1533, IBON-174.03) and Cultivars (Beka, Sabini, Bahati, Fire Gebs and HB-120) were also identified as susceptibility to net blotch at natural infection in field with none yield advantage.

Effect of Heat Treatments on Microbial Load and Associated Changes to β‐Glucan Physicochemical Properties in Whole Grain Barley

Health claims for barley β‐glucan (BG) have prompted the development of food products containing barley; however, some new products (such as milled grain used without a cook step, as in a smoothie) do not use any form of heat treatment during processing or prior to consumption, which could affect microbial safety and potential health benefits. The aims of this research were to evaluate current commercial barley products for microbial counts and BG characteristics and to determine the effects of different heat treatments on these attributes in whole grain barley samples. Three heat treatments (micronization, roasting, and conditioning) were performed on three cultivars of barley (CDC Rattan, CDC McGwire, and CDC Fibar). The microbial quality was measured with standard plate count (SPC), mold and yeast count (MYC), and coliforms or Escherichia coli. Only four of the 17 commercial barley products tested met acceptable microbial limits used in this study. All three heat treatments applied to the barley samples in this study reduced SPC, MYC, and coliforms to an acceptable level. BG was extracted with an in vitro digestion method to determine its viscosity, molecular weight (MW), and solubility. All three heat treatments produced BG extracts with high viscosity and MW compared with untreated barley. Overall, heat treatments improved both the safety and the potential health benefits from soluble BG in whole grain barley.

Characterization of the sdw1 semi-dwarf gene in barley

BackgroundThe dwarfing gene sdw1 has been widely used throughout the world to develop commercial barley varieties. There are at least four different alleles at the sdw1 locus.ResultsMutations in the gibberellin 20-oxidase gene (HvGA20ox2) resulted in multiple alleles at the sdw1 locus. The sdw1.d allele from Diamant is due to a 7-bp deletion in exon 1, while the sdw1.c allele from Abed Denso has 1-bp deletion and a 4-bp insertion in the 5’ untranslated region. The sdw1.a allele from Jotun resulted from a total deletion of the HvGA20ox2 gene. The structural changes result in lower gene expression in sdw1.d and lack of expression in sdw1.a. There are three HvGA20ox genes in the barley genome. The partial or total loss of function of the HvGA20ox2 gene could be compensated by enhanced expression of its homolog HvGA20ox1and HvGA20ox3. A diagnostic molecular marker was developed to differentiate between the wild-type, sdw1.d and sdw1.a alleles and another molecular marker for differentiation of sdw1.c and sdw1.a. The markers were further tested in 197 barley varieties, out of which 28 had the sdw1.d allele and two varieties the sdw1.a allele. To date, the sdw1.d and sdw1.a alleles have only been detected in the modern barley varieties and lines.ConclusionsThe results provided further proof that the gibberellin 20-oxidase gene (HvGA20ox2) is the functional gene of the barley sdw1 mutants. Different deletions resulted in different functional alleles for different breeding purposes. Truncated protein could maintain partial function. Partial or total loss of function of the HvGA20ox2 gene could be compensated by enhanced expression of its homolog HvGA20ox1 and HvGA20ox3.

Phytochemical and Antibacterial Properties of Echinophora Orientalis Essential Oil against Staphylococcus aureus in Soup

Using of chemical preservatives in food may have harmful effects on human health and reduce food safety; Natural preservatives can be used to improve food safety. Echinophora Orientalis is one of the medicinal herbs that traditionally has been used as natural preservative. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the chemical composition and antimicrobial effect of E. orientalis essential oil (EO) against Staphylococcus aureus in a food model. In order to preparing E. orientalis EO, the aerial parts of the plant were collected from Binalud mountain in Nishapur, East of Iran. The EO was extracted using Clevenger and its chemical composition was determined by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Assessment of antibacterial activity of the EO was performed by inoculating the amount of 103 cfu/ml S. aureus into a certain amount of soup samples. Different concentrations of the EO (6.25, 12.5, 25 μg ml-1) added into the soup samples. The antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of the EO on S. aureus was examined in the commercial barley soup kept under fridge condition in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 days after S. aureus inoculation. In total 43 components were identified in E. orientalis EO by GC-MS analysis, comprising 99.05% of the volatile oil, of which γ-decalactone (21.15%), β- cis-Ocimene (15.27%), Linalool L (8.82%), Spathulenol (7.74 %), Eugenol methyl ether (6.61%) were the major components. The EO showed strong antimicrobial activity against tested bacteria, so that no bacterial growth was observed in concentrations of 12.5 μg ml-1 and 25 μg ml-1 five days after bacterial inoculation, but bacterial growth was observed at concentrations of 6.25 μg ml-1. Average growth of bacteria in concentrations of 6.25, within five days counting were respectively 34 and 35 respectively 62.33±4.07, 42.66±3.02, 16±0.81, 1.33±0.65, 0 Cfu/ml (p<0.05). Evaluation of the sensory properties showed that concentration of 6.25 μg ml-1 of the EO was the most acceptable concentration. It was concluded that E. orientalis EO is a strong preservative and a flavoring agent in foods.

Antibacterial activity of Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil and nisin against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella Typhimurium in commercial barley soup

Summary Shahbazi, Y., N. Shavisi & E. Mohebi, 2016. Antibacterial activity of Ziziphora clinopod ioides essential oil and nisin against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella Typhimurium in co mmercial barley soup. Bulg. J. Vet. Med. (online first). The objective of the current study was to evaluate the antibacterial acti v ity of nisin (250 and 500 IU/mL), Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil (0.1 and 0.2%) and their combination against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella Typhimurium in commercial barley soup during refrigerated storage. Based on our findings, the population of pathogens was reduced with the addition of the essential oil and nisin, increased concentration of the added antibacterial agents and the longer storage time of co mmercial barley soup. The group treated with the essential oil at 0.2% and nisin at 500 IU/mL showed the most rapid decr ease in the number of S. Typhimurium and B. subtilis . By the end of seven and five days, populations of S. Typhimurium and B. subtilis in overall concentrations of the essential oil with nisin were totally inhibited, respectively. Our findings suggest the possibility of utili s ing co mmercial ba r ley soup with a mixture of Z. clinopodioides essential oil and nisin for the reduction of B. subtilis and S. Typhimurium .

Genetic mapping of resistance to Puccinia hordei in three barley doubled-haploid populations

The success of breeding for barley leaf rust (BLR) resistance relies on regular discovery, characterization and mapping of new resistance sources. Greenhouse and field studies revealed that the barley cultivars Baronesse, Patty and RAH1995 carry good levels of adult plant resistance (APR) to BLR. Doubled haploid populations [(Baronesse/Stirling (B/S), Patty/Tallon (P/T) and RAH1995/Baudin (R/B)] were investigated in this study to understand inheritance and map resistance to BLR. The seedlings of two populations (B/S and R/B) segregated for leaf rust response that conformed to a single gene ratio ( $${\text{X}}_{1:1}^{2}$$ = 0.12, P > 0.7 for B/S and $${\text{X}}_{1:1}^{2}$$ = 0.34, P > 0.5 for R/B) whereas seedlings of third population (P/T) segregated for two-gene ratio ( $${\text{X}}_{1:1}^{2}$$ = 0.17, P > 0.6) when tested in greenhouse. It was concluded that the single gene in Baudin and one of the two genes in Tallon is likely Rph12, whereas gene responsible for seedling resistance in Stirling is Rph9.am (allele of Rph12). The second seedling gene in Tallon is uncharacterized. In the field, APR was noted in lines that were susceptible as seedlings. A range of disease responses (CI 5–90) was observed in all three populations. Marker trait association analysis detected three QTLs each in populations B/S (QRph.sun-2H.1, QRph.sun-5H.1 and QRph.sun-6H.1) and R/B (QRph.sun-1H, QRph.sun-2H.2, QRph.sun-3H and QRph.sun-6H.2), and four QTLs in population P/T (QRph.sun-6H.2, QRph.sun-1H.2, QRph.sun-5H.2 and QRph.sun-7H) that significantly contributed to low leaf rust disease coefficients. High frequency of QRph. sun-5H.1, QRph. sun-6H.1, QRph. sun-1H.1, QRph. sun-2H.2, QRph. sun-6H.2, QRph. sun-7H (based on presence of the marker, closely associated to the respective QTLs) was observed in international commercial barley germplasm and hence providing an opportunity for rapid integration into breeding programmes. The identified candidate markers closely linked to these QTLs will assist in selecting and assembling new APR gene combinations; expectantly this will help in achieving good levels of durable resistance for controlling BLR.

بهینهیابی شرایط استخراج آبی بتاگلوکان از جو بدون پوشینه رقم لوت به روش سطح پاسخ

در این پژوهش تاثیر شرایط استخراج شامل زمان، نسبت حلال به آرد جو و pH بر ویژگی‌های فیزیکوشیمایی، رفتار جریان، پایدارکنندگی کف و امولسیون و رنگ بتاگلوکان استخراج شده از دانه جو بدون پوشینه رقم لوت توسط طرح مرکب مرکزی و به روش سطح پاسخ تعیین گردید. نتایج تجزیه و تحلیل آماری و ضرایب مدل‌ها نشان داد که مدت زمان استخراج، نسبت حلال به آرد جو و pH اثر معنی‌داری بر بازدهی و خلوص بتاگلوکان، پایداری کف و امولسیون، ضریب قوام (k)، شاخص رفتار جریان (n) و مولفه های رنگیL*، a* و b* داشت. افزایش زمان استخراج و نسبت حلال به آرد جو اثر مطلوبی بر بازدهی و خلوص بتاگلوکان استخراج شده گذاشت که این امر خود موجب بهبود خاصیت قوام‌دهندگی و ویژگی‌های رفتار جریان آن شد. از طرفی با افزایش قدرت قوام‌دهندگی بتاگلوکان، توانایی پایدارکنندگی سیستم‌های کف و امولسیون نیز افزایش یافت. افزایش pH موجب کاهش بازدهی استخراج و افزایش خلوص بتاگلوکان گردید. بهترین شرایط استخراج زمانی حاصل شد که زمان استخراج 90 دقیقه، نسبت حلال به آرد جو 10 به 1 و pH، 33/7 بود. در این نقطه بهینه، بازدهی استخراج، 12/4 درصد؛ خلوص، 11/69 درصد؛ پایداری کف، 95/86 درصد؛ پایداری امولسیون، 77/88 درصد؛ ضریب قوام، Pa.sn 51/1؛ شاخص رفتار جریان، 62/0؛ L*، 42/73 ؛ a*، 81/0 و b*، 72/8 بود.

Genomic Prediction of Seed Quality Traits Using Advanced Barley Breeding Lines.

Genomic selection was recently introduced in plant breeding. The objective of this study was to develop genomic prediction for important seed quality parameters in spring barley. The aim was to predict breeding values without expensive phenotyping of large sets of lines. A total number of 309 advanced spring barley lines tested at two locations each with three replicates were phenotyped and each line was genotyped by Illumina iSelect 9Kbarley chip. The population originated from two different breeding sets, which were phenotyped in two different years. Phenotypic measurements considered were: seed size, protein content, protein yield, test weight and ergosterol content. A leave-one-out cross-validation strategy revealed high prediction accuracies ranging between 0.40 and 0.83. Prediction across breeding sets resulted in reduced accuracies compared to the leave-one-out strategy. Furthermore, predicting across full and half-sib-families resulted in reduced prediction accuracies. Additionally, predictions were performed using reduced marker sets and reduced training population sets. In conclusion, using less than 200 lines in the training set can result in low prediction accuracy, and the accuracy will then be highly dependent on the family structure of the selected training set. However, the results also indicate that relatively small training sets (200 lines) are sufficient for genomic prediction in commercial barley breeding. In addition, our results indicate a minimum marker set of 1,000 to decrease the risk of low prediction accuracy for some traits or some families.

Isolation of viable protoplasts from the aleurone layers of commercial barley malting varieties

The use of aleurone-layer protoplasts as a model system for barley germination research offers several advantages over working with the whole tissue, including the ability to more precisely control the level of hormone exposure during experiments, and to more easily perform cell biology studies using microscopy. However, protoplasts from the cultivar Himalaya have dominated these studies, probably owing to the availability of a suitable isolation protocol tailored to these hull-less grains. Here the development of a protocol to isolate aleurone-layer protoplasts from commercial malting barley cultivars is described. By implementing the protocol, protoplasts were isolated from three commercial Australian varieties and their responses to incubation with gibberellic acid evaluated. Key properties of the protoplasts that make them a good model for the aleurone layer are demonstrated. The soluble proteome of the isolated protoplasts was shown to be highly similar to that of the intact tissue. The cell death response of the protoplasts to treatment with gibberellic acid, which involves increased vacuolization, was visualized as increasingly transparent protoplasts under microscopy. The use of isolated protoplasts offers several applications of great potential to further understand the behaviour of the aleurone layer during germination and thus during the malting process. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

Classification and Authentication of Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Malt Varieties: Combining Attenuated Total Reflectance Mid-infrared Spectroscopy with Chemometrics

Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics was explored as a tool to classify and authenticate Australian barley varieties. Grain samples (n = 162) were sourced from eight commercial barley varieties and analysed in the MIR range. Principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant partial least squares regression (PLS-DA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) were used to classify the barley grain samples according to variety. PLS-DA correctly classified barley varieties between 91 and 100 %. The results have demonstrated the usefulness of ATR-MIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as a rapid method to classify barley grain samples according to their variety. Although MIR is not routinely available at the receival point in most of the cereal trade companies, it has the potential to be used in breeding programmes.

Comparison of the impact on the performance of small-scale mashing with different proportions of unmalted barley, Ondea Pro®, malt and rice

The impact of using different combinations of unmalted barley, Ondea Pro® and barley malt in conjunction with a 35% rice adjunct on mashing performance was examined in a series of small scale mashing trials. The objective was to identify the potential optimal levels and boundaries for the mashing combinations of barley, Ondea Pro®, malt and 35% rice (BOMR) that might apply in commercial brewing. Barley and malt samples used for the trials were selected from a range of Australian commercial barley and malt samples following evaluation by small-scale mashing. This investigation builds on previous studies in order to adapt the technology to brewing styles common in Asia, where the use of high levels of rice adjunct is common. Mashing with the rice adjunct, combined with differing proportions of barley, Ondea Pro® and malt, resulted in higher extract levels than were observed for reference mashing, using either 100% malt reference or 100% barley reference and Ondea Pro® enzymes. Synergistic mashing effects between barley, Ondea Pro® and malt were observed for mash quality and efficiency parameters, particularly wort fermentability. The optimum levels of barley in the grist (with the relative level of Ondea Pro®) were assessed to be in the range 45–55% when paired with 10–20% malt and 35% rice. When the proportion of malt was reduced below 10% of the grist, substantial reductions in wort quality were observed for wort quality parameters including extract, lautering, fermentability, free amino nitrogen and haze. Extension of this new approach to brewing with rice adjuncts will benefit from further research into barley varietal selection in order to better meet brewer's quality requirements for the finished beer. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

Potential Application of Ziziphora Clinopodioides Essential Oil and Nisin as Natural Preservatives Against Bacillus Cereus and Escherichia Coli O157: H7 in Commercial Barley Soup

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of nisin (250 and 500 IU/mL), Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil (0.1 and 0.2%) and their combination against Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in commercial barley soup during refrigerated storage for 9 days. Carvacrol (64.22%) and thymol (19.22%) were the major components of the essential oil. In untreated samples, the populations of E. coli O157:H7 and B. cereus were reduced the value of 2.30 and 3.95 log10 CFU/mL, respectively, during refrigerated storage. The count of the pathogens were significantly affected (P&lt;0.05) by the addition of the essential oil and nisin. The lowest population of the pathogens was found in the samples treated with the essential oil at 0.2% in combination with nisin at 500 IU/mL. Our findings indicate that the essential oil of Z. clinopodioides and nisin has potential to be applied as antimicrobial and preservative agents in food products especially commercial barley soup.Practical ApplicationsAccording to the results of this study, commercial barley soup can be a very suitable food by adding Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil and nisin. In this work, Z. clinopodioides essential oil and nisin had not adverse effects on sensory properties of barley soup. Z. clinopodioides essential oil, nisin and their combination were very effective in inhibiting growth of E. coli O157:H7 and B. cereus in commercial barley soup during storage at 4C.

Drought stress effects on the grain yield among different barley cultivars

We examined commercial barley cultivars in two sequential growing season by including irrigation and rainfed conditions under a randomized complete block experimental design. There were positive and significant correlations between the yeild and either of the indices including Mean productivity (MP), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Harmonic Mean Productivity (HMP), and Mean Relative Performance (MRP) in both irrigated and drought conditions. The PC1 and PC2 justified 94.86 and 94.44% of total variation in the first year and second year, respectively. According to 3-dimensional diagram and based on STI, genotypes 2, 3, and 8 in the first year and gentypes 4, 3, 8, and 2 in the second year were clustered together in group A, and therefore, called the most tolerant cultivars to drought stress.