Hulless Barley as an Ingredient for Manufacturing Barley-Grits

Hulless Barley for Barley Grits

Abstract

Barley, an ancient and salubrious grain, has very high nutritional potential. The absence of a tightly attached hull in hulless barley makes it amenable for culinary uses. The present study focused on evaluating the physicochemical attributes, cooking behaviour, and sensory attributes of barley grits obtained from four distinct barley varieties, namely, DWRB 223, Karan 16, PL 891, and Geetanjali. The grits were obtained using a stone mill, with protein content between 10.28-15.28%, ash from 1.17-1.37%, and β-glucan from 4.12-5.03%. The whiteness index for grits, based on Hunter colour parameters ranged from 61.2 to 67.0. The by-product generated during grinding contained 13.48-19.49% protein, 2.56-2.90% ash, and 3.47-4.10% β-glucan, offering a potential option for further valorisation. The cooked-sweetened dalia in milk medium was ‘liked moderately to very much’ by the sensory panellists when served as a hot and cold dessert with overall acceptability scores ranging from 7.33-7.67 and 7.42-8.00, respectively. Hulless barley grits present themselves as a minimally processed food option and a unique attempt for value addition and product diversification aligned with climate smart agriculture which could be beneficial in providing economic opportunities to women’s self-help groups and farmer-producer organisations.