Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Euclydes Minella
Embrapa
Simoní da Ros
University College London
10.37885/210203169
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine general quality characteristics of whole grain of
advanced lines of barley grown in Brazil and to determine the effects of genotype and
growing location on β-glucan and dietary fibre contents. Barley cultivars, designated BRS
225, BRS 195 and MN 743, crop year 2008 and 2009, with three replications in field trial
coordinated by the EMBRAPA Trigo/Passo Fundo were used in this research. The barley
samples were analyzed in relation to their Total Dietary Fibre (TDF) contents and fractions
for moisture and protein (N × 6.25) by using AACC Methods (American Association of
Cereal Chemists, 1990). The β-Glucan content was assessed using the McCleary Enzymic
Method for barley (McCleary and Codd, 1991). The data was statistically evaluated by
System for Analysis and Separation Averages in Agricultural Experiment (SASM-Agri -
version 4) and differences between means were located using Scott-Knott’s test (p<0,05).
There were significant differences among the barley genotypes and different locations
and crop years in terms of β-glucan, total dietary fibre (TDF), soluble dietary fibre (SDF)
and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) content (p<0.05). Climatic factors can affect positively or
negatively the content of total dietary fibre and β-glucan, impacting on the final quality of
the barley grain. Substantial variation in the content of fibre components was observed
for barley cultivars grown in different years on the same location. These results indicate
that environmental and genetic factors are involved in the total β-glucan content and
dietary fibre of barley.
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INTRODUCTION
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this study explores the relationship between barley bioactive properties and their genotypic
and grown environmental factors.
OBJECTIVE
The main goal of this study was to determine the effects of environments factors, spe-
cifically, air temperature, insolation degree and rainfall amount, on β-glucan and dietary fibre
(DF) contents in whole grain of different barley cultivars grown in Brazil.
Our results highlight that these weather variables have important effect on final
barley properties.
The knowledge of the relationship between weather variables and β-glucan and dietary
fibre (DF) contents of barley can contribute for the production design of barley cultivars rich
in such compounds, bringing benefits for both barley processors and end consumers.
METHODS
Materials
Barley cultivars, designated BRS 225, BRS 195 and MN 743, crop year 2008 and
2009, with three replications in field trial coordinated by the Research Center of the Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Trigo / Passo Fundo) were used in this research.
Whole grains of barley were grown in experimental fields in two different locations (Victor
Graeff and Passo Fundo cities) in southern Brazil. The experiments which led the seed sam-
ples were sown in the first half of June. The crop was harvested in the last week of October
in Victor Graeff and second week of November in Passo Fundo, in the respective years.
In order to evaluate the effects of weather variables on β-glucan and dietary fibre (DF)
contents in barley, meteorological data regarding air temperature, insolation degree and rain-
fall amount from cultivation areas were obtained from the National Institute of Meteorology,
(2012), during cultivars growing period.
Average values of air temperature, which was measured at 12 a.m., rainfall and inso-
lation, observed during the planting and harvesting of barley in each municipality (National
Institute of Meteorology, 2012), were used in order to perform statistical analysis.
The barley samples were analyzed for moisture and protein (N × 6.25) by using
AACC Methods Nos. 44-01, 46-12 and 55-10, respectively (American Association of Cereal
Chemists, 1990).
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For the β-glucan analysis with an enzymic method, Megazyme β -glucan and Glucose
Assay Kits were used (Megazyme International, Ireland Ltd.). β-Glucan contents were as-
sessed using the McCleary Enzymic Method for barley (McCleary and Codd, 1991). The
principle of the method is depolymerization of β-glucan with endo- (1,3)-(1,4)-β-D-glucan
4-glucanohydrolase (lichenase) to oligosaccharides, hydrolysis of the oligosaccharides to
glucose with purified β-D-glucosidase and determination of glucose using a glucose oxidase-
-peroxidase method. Total dietary fibre (TDF) contents and fractions of barley samples were
determined by using AACC Standard Method No. 32-07 (AACC, 1990). Duplicate samples of
milled barleys were applied to sequential enzymatic digestion by using heat stable α-amylase
(Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark), amyloglucosidase and protease (Sigma, St. Louis,
MO, USA) to remove starch and protein. For TDF, enzyme digestate was treated with ethyl
alcohol to precipitate soluble dietary fibre (SDF) before filtering, and the TDF residue was
washed with ethyl alcohol and acetone, and then dried and weighed. TDF residue values
were corrected for protein, ash and blank. The content of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) was
determined by observing the difference between TDF and IDF.
Statistical analysis
The average values of temperature compensated, rainfall and insolation were compared
with values obtained from total dietary fibre and fractions.
The data were statistically evaluated by the one-way analysis of variance procedure
using the System for Analysis and Separation Averages in Agricultural Experiment (SASM-
Agri - version 4) and differences between means were identified using Scott-Knott’s test
(p<0,05) (Canteri et al., 2001). When significant differences were found, the Least Significant
Difference (LSD) test was used to determine the differences among mean values.
RESULTS
The results of β-glucan, total dietary fibre (TDF) contents and fractions of the who-
le barley grains grown in Passo Fundo (PF) and Victor Graeff (VG) cities are presented
in Tables 1 and 2.
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Table 1. β-Glucan and total dietary fibre contents of barley samples grown in different crop years in Passo Fundo city.
Barley lines (L) β-Glucan (%) A Total dietary fibre (%) A Soluble fibre (%) A Insoluble fibre (%) A
2008
2009
Means with the same letter within a column are not significantly different (p < 0.05) by least significant differences (LSD) analysis.
A
Dry weight basis.
Table 2. β-Glucan and total dietary fibre contents of barley samples grown in different crop years in Victor Graeff city.
Barley lines (L) β-Glucan (%) A Total dietary fibre (%) A Soluble fibre (%) A Insoluble fibre (%) A
2008
2009
Means with the same letter within a column are not significantly different (p < 0.05) by least significant differences (LSD) analysis.
A
Dry weight basis.
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The Total dietary fibre (TDF) values statistically significant were detected only in PF,
with the highest values associated to the cultivars MN 743 (2009), BRS 225 (2009) and BRS
225 (2008), while the barley lines BRS 195 (2009), BRS 195 (2008) and MN 743 (2008) had
the lowest TDF values (Table 1). No statistically significant difference was observed among
cultivars analyzed in VG.
The highest soluble dietary fibre (SDF) contents in PF city was detected at cultivar BRS
195 (2008), whereas the lowest values at BRS 225 (2009) and BRS 195 (2009) (Table 1).
Moreover, the highest values statistically significant in VG were observed at cultivar BRS
195, crop year 2008 and 2009, while the lowest values were observed to the samples BRS
225 (2009) and MN 743 (2008) (Table 2).
Regarding the insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) the highest contents in PF were detected
at cultivars MN 743 (2009), BRS 225 (2009) and BRS 225 (2008), while in VG the highest
values statistically significant were observed to the samples MN 743 (2008) and BRS 225
(2009) (Table 2).
With respect to environmental factors in our study we observed that in Passo Fundo
city, the average of β-glucan content was higher in 2008 with a higher mean air temperature
(Figure 1) and intense sunlight (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Relation between β-glucan content and mean temperature (°C) in Passo Fundo (PF) city.
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Figure 2. Relation between β-glucan content and insolation (hours) in Passo Fundo (PF) city.
In Victor Graeff the same behavior was observed among cultivars regarding the mean
air temperature (Figure 3). In this region was not available insolation data and therefore it
was not possible to correlate this result with the percentage of β-glucans.
Figure 3. Relation between β-glucan content and mean temperature (°C) in Victor Graeff (VG) city.
The air temperature showed a clear effect upon β-glucan content. The highest values of
average air temperature during cultivars growing resulted on higher β-glucan content among
cultivars in the two areas analyzed, Passo Fundo and Victor Graeff cities. Higher sunlight
amounts benefited β-glucan formation among barley cultivars in Passo Fundo city.
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With respect to rainfall, was observed that this environmental factor influenced negati-
vely of β-glucan content, as shown (Figures 4 and 5) in Passo Fundo and Victor Graeff, with
the exception only of BRS 195 (2009) in VG which had increase results on this parameter.
Figure 4. Relation between β-glucan content and Rainfall (mm) in Passo Fundo (PF) city.
Figure 5. Relation between β-glucan content and Rainfall (mm) in Victor Graeff (VG) city.
DISCUSSION
Barley grain is notable for a high content of β-glucans that ranges from 2.5% to 11.3%.
The level of β-glucans in oats (2.2–7.8%), rye (1.2–2.0%), and wheat (0.4– 1.4%) may also
vary substantially, but it is generally lower than in barley (Andersson et al., 2004; Izydorczyk
& Dexter, 2008).
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According Izydorczyk and Dexter (2008) and Andersson et al. (2004), the content of
β-glucans in barley is influenced both genetic and environmental factors and by interaction
between both. The highest values of average air temperature during cultivars growing resul-
ted on higher β-glucan content among cultivars in the two areas analyzed, Passo Fundo and
Victor Graeff cities. Insolation also presented a statically significant influence on β-glucan
content, increasing the content of it. As reported by Ehrenbergerová et al. (2008), higher
temperatures during grain filling can provide increase of β-glucan content in barley grains.
Rainfall amount influenced negatively the β-glucan contents in our study. These results
corroborate the findings of Aastrup (1979) that explains its results reporting that rain might
degrade β-glucans, decrease β-glucans synthesis, modify β-glucans to give polymers inac-
cessible to the β-glucanase and lead to leaching of the glucose, a precursor of β-glucans,
from the flag leaf and awns. High precipitation decreases several factors, especially viscosity,
wich correlates positively with the water-soluble β- glucan content of oats (Aastrup, 1979;
Saastamoinen et al., 2004).
In the oat study reported from Finland, Saastamoinen et al. (2004) found that the ave-
rage β-glucan content was significantly lower in cold rainy weather conditions than in hot
dry conditions. Fastnaught et al. (1996) observed in barley higher mean glucan content and
extract viscosity in 1989, which was a very hot year with low moisture. Jackson et al. (1994)
found that the environmental weather factors influenced β-glucan content in waxy hull-less
barley grain more than nitrogen fertilization. These authors concluded that β- glucan yield in
hull-less waxy spring barley cultivars grown in hot dry regions in central Montana (USA) was
higher than that obtained in oats.
The same cultivars from PF city that presented the highest value to IDF (BRS 195
and MN 743) also showed higher contents of TDF. The TDF content maintained relationship
with the content of insoluble dietary fibre (IDF), and an increase in its content was observed
to the crop of 2009, which showed higher rainfall and lower insolation during the planting and
harvesting of grains. The soluble fibre content in PF maintained relationship with the β-glucan
content and an increase on its was observed in the crop of 2008, which showed higher mean
temperature and insolation, and lower rainfall during the planting and harvesting of grain. The
same behavior was observed in VG.
CONCLUSION
The present study indicates that both environment and genetic factors have influence
on the β-glucans and TDF content of Brazilian whole grains of barley, confirming previous
studies reported in the literature.
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The study also unveiled information about β-glucan and TDF content and other quality
characteristics of barley grains grown in Brazil. Moreover, it was shown how climatic factors
can positively or negatively affect the content of total dietary fibre and β-glucan, interfering
in the final quality of the barley grain.
Substantial variation was demonstrated in the contents of fibre components of barley
cultivars grown in different years on the same location.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors acknowledge the support in the implementation of this research to Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA/Trigo, Rio Grande do Sul) and Company
Megazyme International Ireland Ltda.
FINANCING
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