VARIATION IN THE BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ACID EXTRACTS FROM BARLEYS OF CONTRASTING MALTING QUALITY

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Abstract
Acid extracts from barleys of poor malting quality were characterized by high viscosity caused by enhanced concentrations of high molecular weight carbohydrates of which more than 80 per cent was β-glucan. Up to 67 per cent of the β-glucan in these barleys was soluble in the acid extracting solution. In contrast, only about 25 per cent of the β-glucan in good malting barleys was soluble, resulting in extracts having low viscosity. No evidence was found for autolysis in any of the extracts, and extracts from good malting varieties were characterized by high concentrations of fructose and sucrose. Protein concentration in the extracts varied little, although the protein content of the barleys ranged from 9·1 per cent to 15·4 per cent. Soluble protein has no effect on extract viscosity or the gel filtration properties of the carbohydrates. Some quantitative variation in acid-soluble and salt-soluble proteins was seen after electrophoresis on polyacrylamide.

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