Comparisons of beta-glucan content of barley and oat

The cholesterol-lowering effect of cereal grains has been associated with the soluble fiber component of dietary fiber. beta-Glucan is the major soluble fiber component of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and oat (Avena sativa L.). Much research has been conducted to determine the beta-glucan content of barley and oat genotypes from many different countries. However, genotypes of both crops always were grown in separate experiments, making direct comparisons between the two crops difficult. This study compares in the same experiment the beta-glucan content of nine barley and 10 oat genotypes grown at two locations in each of two years (i.e., four environments) in North Dakota. Averaged across genotypes, total beta-glucan content of barley and oat great was similar. Soluble beta-glucan content of oat great was greater than barley, and oat great had a greater ratio of soluble-to-total beta-glucan than barley. The soluble beta-glucan content and ratio of soluble to total beta-glucan content of the ''best'' barley genotypes were less than that of oat genotypes with the highest levels of these two traits.