Standardisation and quality evaluation of hulled and hulless barley hordeum vulgare for the development of functional foods

Abstract

The present investigation aimed to assess the nutrient composition of hulled and hulless barley and the impact of various processing methods on its nutritional quality and formulation of functional foods, including ready-to-eat products viz. cookies and breakfast cereal, and ready-to-cook product i.e pasta, using different proportions of differently processed hulled and hulless barley. Nutritional analysis revealed that the hulled barley variety had 11.07, 4.17, 1.97, and 2.56 per cent of crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, and total ash, respectively, while hulless barley contained 13.17, 2.43, 2.96, and 2.62 per cent of these components. Processing techniques, such as soaking, popping, and germination, were applied to the barley, with germination notably enhancing its antioxidant profile. Hulled barley exhibited high levels of total phenolic content (2.233 mg GAE/100g), flavonoids (19.850 mg CE/100g) and DPPH inhibition activity (76.183 per cent). The germinated hulled and hulless barley showed superior nutrient profiles compared to unprocessed grains. Minerals (Ca, Fe, Zn, and P) and and#946;-glucan content (6.47 per cent in hulless and 5.34 per cent in hulled barley) were higher in hulless barley. Functional food products were developed by incorporating both processed and unprocessed barley at levels of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 per cent to formulate cookies, breakfast cereal and pasta. Nutritional and sensory evaluations revealed that products formulated with germinated barley flour were superior to those made with raw, soaked and popped barley. Germinated hulled and hulless barley flour functional food products, packed in aluminum foil-lined and laminated bags, were tested for their storage stability, nutritional integrity, and sensory acceptability where it showed a significant enhancement in nutritional value with higher levels of germinated barley flour. Based on sensory and nutritional quality, products incorporated with 25 per cent germinated hulled and hulless barley flour were identified as the best formulations. Cookies with 25 per cent hulled and hulless barley incorporation contained crude protein, crude fiber, and and#946;-glucan levels ranging from 11.21 to 12.27, 1.98 to 2.05, and 0.97 to 1.02 per cent, respectively. In pasta, these values ranged from 11.45 to 11.86, 0.87 to 0.92, and 2.02 to 2.56 per cent, while in breakfast cereal, range was from 9.19 to 9.29, 1.04 to 1.09, and 1.14 to 1.59 per cent. Processed barley-based functional foods demonstrated nutritional advantages over their controls, confirming their health benefits. Shelf-life studies indicated that these products maintained their quality and were acceptable for up to 120 days, confirming them both nutritious and shelf-stable choices for health-conscious consumers. newline