VIEW ARTICLE    DOI: 10.1094/ASBCJ-49-0110

Analysis of β-Glucans in Barley and Malt: A Comparison of Four Methods. S. E. Ullrich and J. A. Clancy, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6420, and J. G. Cuti, Jr., and C. M. Tompkins, Great Western Malting Co., Box 1529, Vancouver, WA 98663-1529. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 49:0110, 1991.

Interest in analyzing β-glucans in barley and malt has been increasing. β-Glucan analyses are time-consuming and expensive. However, newer, faster methods are being developed. The present study compared four methods of measuring β-glucans in barley and malt flour, including three enzymatic procedures developed at Washington State University (WSU), Cornell University (CU), and Biocon (Australia), and the flow injection analysis (FIA) system using the fluorochrome Calcofluor. Two- and six-row barleys were analyzed, providing a range of β-glucan levels of 3.5-10%. Fully malted to partially malted flours had a range of 0.2-2.5%. Accuracy and precision varied among methods. Absolute β-glucan percentage differed considerably among methods. The rank among methods was consistent for barley (CU > FIA > WSU > Biocon) and different for malt (CU > WSU > Biocon = FIA). The methods were in generally good agreement for relative β-glucan values, (r > 0.98 for comparison of any two methods over all barley and malt samples). However, r values ranged lower within barley (r = 0.89-0.95) and malt (r = 0.81-0.98) subsets. Choice of method will depend on the importance of cost, speed, accuracy, precision, and the type and intended use of the material being analyzed.

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