Food Barley – products and possibilities

Patrick HayesDept. Crop and Soil Science

Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, Oregon USAwww.barleyworld.org

1. What barley was2. What barley is3. What barley could be

First crop domesticated (?) • Beer • Hulls and necessity/utility

The environment and income in Europe• Food for gladiators and the poor• The limited rise of hordeins

The tradition in North America• Beef and barley soup

Naked grain and geographic specificity • Andes, Himalayas, North Africa• Regional foods and traditions

What barley was

Feed• Default commodity product• Under-appreciated and under-valued• Hulls have some benefit for ruminants Beer• The economic driver• Approaching niche crop status• Hulls for filtration: the way it is, not the way it has to be

Food• A limited acreage staple• Andes, Himalayas, North Africa

• A very limited acreage novelty • Europe, North America

What barley is

Europe, North America, and beyond: Obesity, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes, heart disease • Dietary fiber can be part of the solution and whole grains are

great sources of fiber• Barley an optimum source of dietary fiber (beta glucan)

Meeting the fiber need with barley: what’s not to like?• Easy fit into farming systems• Easy to process• Easy to breed• Varieties available/in the pipeline

What barley is

Why such potential but so little economic traction?

1. Timing: the gluten-free craze2. Oats: filling the beta glucan niche3. Distinctiveness: Not that different from other grains4. History and preconceptions: feed, poverty food5. Low esteem and price: rocks are worth more!

What barley is

What barley could be

“Snack foods aren’t just about crunch and craving anymore. Consumers are asking for healthier options that don’t compromise the snacking experience. Sustagrain®, the highest-fiber whole grain, can help. This proprietary variety of barley has a balanced blend of insoluble and soluble fibers, with the highest level of beta-glucan and the lowest glycemic index of any grain.”

What’s right and wrong with this strategy?

What barley could be

What’s right and wrong with this picture?

A whole new type of wheat – just in time to deal with climate change!

• Drought tolerant • Early maturing• Nitrogen use efficient• High fiber• Broad adaptation • Economic yields • All types of starches• Rainbow of colors• Interesting and unique flavors and aromas

What barley could be

A whole new type of wheat – just in time to deal with climate change!

What barley could be

What does it take for barley to be the new wheat?

Create a framework:

Go naked: Farewell to hulls. Who needs them?• Cellulose is cheap and abundant• Wort can be filtered• “Honest” yield data

What barley could be

What does it take for barley to be the new wheat?

Recognize and address the “negatives”

• If people are healthier and eat less, there less money to be made in health care and food sales

• If people eat more barley, they’ll eat less of other grains

• Recipes and formulations will require some changes

• If wheat “works”, why “fix” it?

• Someone needs to pay for variety, product, and market development

What barley could be

What does it take for barley to be the new wheat?

Suggested operating procedures:

The ~ 7% solution: Modest beta glucan is fine for whole grains. Leave concentration to bacteria and algae

Look for solutions to the barley gluten/risen bread problem • Complex with other proteins?• Edit the genome?

Solutions to the cooking time issue• Cracking, pre-cooking

New products• Tsampa anyone?

What barley could be

What does it take for barley to be the new wheat?

The take-home message

We need foods that are nutritious, tasty, cost-effective and the reduce long-term costs to society: Healthy and happy today, lower health care costs and sustained markets tomorrow.

Analogous to ecosystem services, reducing carbon footprints.

What barley could be