WO1994022329A1

WO1994022329A1 - Fast cooking barley food ingredient

Info

Publication number: WO1994022329A1
Application number: PCT/US1994/003406
Authority: WO
Inventors: Donald J. Alexander
Original assignee: Alexander-Peterson Inc
Current assignee: Alexander-Peterson Inc
Priority date: 1993-03-30
Filing date: 1994-03-29
Publication date: 1994-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1995-09-30
Also published as: AU6526894A

Abstract

A composition comprising milled grain from waxy, hulled barley and a food is disclosed, suitable for consumption by humans. A fast cooking barley food ingredient is disclosed, comprising a waxy, hulled barley milled to effectively decrease cooking time to 25 minutes or less. Also disclosed is a fast cooking barley food ingredient comprising waxy, hulled barley milled and stabilized to effectively decrease cooking time to 10 minutes or less.

Description

FAST COOKING BARLEY FOOD INGREDIENT FTFT.D OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to food ingredients made from barley. More particularly, the invention relates to food ingredients made from the grain of waxy, hulled barley, processed under conditions effective to make the barley substantially completely cooked by routine unpressurized cooking in a relatively short time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a small grain cereal that is grown worldwide. Cultivated barley is a naturally self-fertilizing species, although there is a small percentage of cross-fertilization. By artificial hybridization and careful selection for the desired phenotype, a breeder can develop pure lines that are uniform in growth habit, maturity, yield, and other morphological characters. Pure lines will generally breed true-to-type. However, individual pure lines may differ from each other in one or more traits and can be classified and differentiated according to the specific traits they possess. For example, there are types of barley known as two-rowed and other types known as six-rowed. Barley lines also can be classified as spring barley or winter barley, referring to the growth habit of plants of that line, or by the presence or absence of hulls on the seed. There are, of course, many other traits which differentiate the various lines. A discussion of breeding methods for developing barley lines and of some traits in barley can be found in Foster, A. E., Barley, pp. 83-125, in Fehr, W.R., ed., Principles of Cultivar Development Vol. 2 Crop species. Macmillan, New York (1987).

Once a breeder has developed a pure line, it may be given a unique name and released as a cultivar under that name. Named cultivars are not necessarily pure lines and may be a mixture of genotypes or even be a hybrid. At present however, most named cultivars are pure lines.

Most of the barley grain produced in the United States is used as an ingredient in cattle, pig, or poultry feed. Another major use for barley is malt production. Malt is used in the brewing and distilling industries to produce alcoholic beverages. Certain lines of barley have properties that are preferred for producing malt. Some of these characteristics include kernel plumpness, total malt protein, soluble protein, diastatic power, and alpha-amylase. Barley grain that has more than about 13.5 wt % protein on a dry basis is rejected by malting plants. Barley grain that is too dark in color is also rejected by malting plants.

Some barley is used as a food ingredient for humans or household pets. As used herein the term food is defined as any human food, pet food, or animal food. When used as a food ingredient, the barley grain is generally processed. Processing may involve grinding the grain to produce flour or rolling to produce thick rolled or flaked grain. Tempering is a process whereby the grain is soaked or wetted with water. Another commonly used processing step known as pearling uses abrasive stones to remove at least a substantial portion of the bran and the germ to produce a pearled barley grain, wherein at least about 10 to 15 wt % of the grain is removed. Pearled kernels of barley are substantially unreduced in size and have a white color and rounded ends. Pearled barley grain may be passed through the pearling machine a second time to produce double-pearled grain, wherein at least about 35 to 42 wt% of the grain is removed. Double pearling produces a somewhat whiter grain but adds the additional costs of a second pass through a pearling machine and increases the amount of grain that is lost as waste. A stabilization process, which includes partial cooking of the grain, may be combined with other processing steps prior to a final cooking step. Stabilizing the grain increases the shelf life and may improve the flavor, texture and appearance of the final product. An example of a step in a stabilization process is infrared heating of the grain as disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,024,145, incorporated herein by reference.

Cooking is a processing step that is often performed on barley grain, either alone or in combination with other processing steps such as pearling. Cooking generally involves heating the barley grain in water until the grain has softened to the degree desired by the processor. The result of the heating process is a cooked barley food ingredient. Barley is cooked in order to make it easier to chew, improve digestibility and improve the flavor. A type of barley known as waxy, hulless barley has been developed in recent years. These lines have the waxy trait, which reduces the amount of amylose starch in the seed, as well as the hulless trait, in which the hull is not cemented to the caryopsis. The two traits are conditioned by recessive alleles, wx and n, at their respective genetic loci. Named waxy, hulless cultivars include Wanubet and Wanupana. Barley lines carrying the recessive hulless trait actually do produce a hull. However, because the hull loosely covers the seed rather than being cemented to it, the hull is easily removed during harvesting operations; the harvested grain is hulless. Waxy, hulless barley lines often suffer from the problem of coloration of the grain, an undesirable and unattractive quality in barley grain used as a food ingredient. The coloration appears because fungi can penetrate between the loose fitting hull and the developing seed under certain growing conditions. The result is a darkened color on the seed coat that darkens the end product of that grain. In addition, unpearled grain from waxy, hulless lines retains the bran and the germ, both of which contribute color to the end product. The coloration problem has inhibited the use of waxy, hulless barley lines in food. Some, waxy, hulless lines have the problems of weak straw and reduced yield, which make them less attractive to the grower. Some of these lines also have detectable off-flavors after tempering under the typical conditions used in the milling industry.

Waxy, hulled lines of barley have been developed. Examples of named cultivars possessing the waxy phenotype but also having normal hulls are Wabet, Wapana, and Watan. These lines have not been considered to be useful. For example, the waxy trait may be useful in the production of high maltose syrup from barley but the hulls are reported to be an unwanted nuisance in the process. Goering, K.J., et al., Starke 22:349-352 (1981).

Barley is desired as a food ingredient for pets and humans because it has a mild flavor and adds fiber to the diet. It is also customary to have barley grain present in certain foods such as soups, and consumers expect it to be present when they purchase these items. Barley could be added to even more food compositions but for the fact that the grain requires pearling to produce the white color desired by consumers and requires extended cooking to soften the grain. Both of these processing steps are added costs to the processor. Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have a food ingredient comprising barley grain with flavor, color and texture satisfactory to the processor, but requiring only a brief pearling time and a brief cooking time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Edible grain from waxy, hulled barley, according to the present invention, may be processed to form fast cook barley food ingredients, and is suitable for consumption by pets or humans. Grain from waxy, hulled barley may be milled to form a fast cook barley food ingredient allowing substantially complete cooking in less than 25 minutes. The method of forming the fast cook barley food ingredient may comprise milling by pearling, where the pearling may be completed in approximately 20% less time than the time required for non- waxy barley grain. The fast cook barley food ingredient is suitable for consumption by pets or humans and has a high level of arabinose, xylose, and glucose in the non-starch polysaccharides.

Alternatively, grain from waxy, hulled barley may be milled and stabilized to form a fast cook barley food ingredient allowing substantially complete cooking of the barley food ingredient in less than 10 minutes. The method for forming the fast cook barley food ingredient may comprise milling by pearling and stabilizing by heating with an infrared heating apparatus. The fast cook barley food ingredient is suitable for consumption by pets or humans.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Grain from a barley line displaying the recessive waxy phenotype and also displaying the dominant hulled phenotype surprisingly has been found to require a shortened pearling time and a shortened cooking time. It is expected that any barley possessing the waxy, hulled phenotype is suitable for this invention. A preferred line is the barley variety Don. This variety is adapted for growing in west central North Dakota and eastern Montana, although Don may possess agronomic characteristics that make it suitable for growing in other areas. Waxy, hulled barley grain is harvested at maturity in any manner suitable for the geographic area and farm land where the particular barley line is grown. The grain may be stored in the manner typical for barley, with reference to the fact that moisture and high temperatures are detrimental to the grain. Barley grain is often processed before being used as a food ingredient, for example, by pearling. According to the present invention, the time required for waxy, hulled barley grain to complete the pearling process has been found to be about 80% of the time required for normal (non-waxy), hulled barley grain. The pearling step may be carried out in the manner suitable for the apparatus in use, whether of the vertical or horizontal type. Parameters such as dam height, exit vane angle, mill speed and so forth, will be set in the usual manner known to those skilled in the art to achieve the appropriate degree of pearling.

The pearled grain of the present invention is suitable for use as a pet food ingredient and may be incorporated into a mixture with other food ingredients in order to provide a balanced nutrient intake by the animal. Methods for incorporating pearled barley into pet food are known in the pet food industry. Pearled barley grain of the present invention also may be used as a food for humans. It may be used alone or mixed with other food ingredients to provide a pleasing flavor, color or other desired quality. In a preferred embodiment the pearled grain is incorporated with other ingredients to make a canned soup product. In this embodiment, the pearled grain may be added as an uncooked ingredient, in any proportion that produces the desired flavor, color and texture. A common proportion is from 5 to 15 wt % pearled barley in a vegetable beef soup product. Other proportions may be preferable for other types of soups. Another embodiment is pearled grain of the invention incorporated into a dry soup mix to make a rehydratable soup product. The pearled grain of the present invention is advantageous because the shortened pearling time reduces energy costs and permits higher throughput of grain. The pearled barley grain of the present invention may be partially cooked by heating and then drying the grain to form a stabilized barley food ingredient. A preferred method of heating the grain is by irradiating the grain with an infrared heating apparatus, for example, a bulk material radiation processor such as described in U.S. Patent 5,024,145. Additional, optional steps may be combined with the heating and drying steps if desired. For example, a stabilized barley food ingredient may be formed by the steps of cleaning, polishing, tempering, heating and drying. The stabilized product may then be thick rolled or flaked to any desired thickness between about 0.38 and about 1.90 millimeters (mm), using a roller mill according to standard milling procedures.

Pearled, stabilized, waxy, hulled grain has been found to have a substantially shortened cooking time compared to pearled, stabilized, normal (non-waxy), hulled grain. Stabilized grain of the invention also has enhanced flavor and a significantly longer shelf life compared to pearled, unstabilized grain.

Stabilized barley may be used as a food for humans, for example, by cooking to make a hot cereal or a barley pilaf. If desired, the stabilized barley may be mixed with other ingredients in amounts providing a pleasing flavor and texture. A preferred embodiment is stabilized barley mixed with other food ingredients to make canned or dry soups. A particular soup is canned vegetable beef soup, comprised of stabilized barley, beef, carrots, celery and salt. A suitable amount of stabilized barley for vegetable beef soup is between 5 and 15 wt % stabilized barley .

The stabilized barley of the present invention may have additional ingredients present during the cooking process, if desired. For example, salt may be included during the process of preparing the product. Such ingredients may also be added after preparing the product if desired. The pearled barley grain of the present invention, either stabilized or not stabilized, may be further processed by cooking to form a cooked barley food ingredient. Pearled waxy, hulled grain, according to the present invention, has a shortened cooking time compared to pearled normal barley grain. The pearled grain may be heated without water to soften the grain, if desired, although it is preferable to cook the pearled grain by heating in the presence of water. The water may or may not be preheated before addition of the barley. Cooking may take place at essentially ambient pressure, i.e., stovetop cooking, or in a pressurized cooker. Preferably, the pearled grain is heated in an uncovered or loosely covered vessel, i.e., at essentially ambient pressure. The grain is heated for the length of time appropriate to the final use of the ingredient. In most cases the grain must be soft enough to be chewable by the final user. Thus it is preferred that pearled, unstabilized grain be heated by simmering in the water for at least 10 minutes, more preferably about 20 minutes. It is expected that simmering for less than 25 minutes will be sufficient to soften the pearled grain to an appropriate texture. Pearled, stabilized grain is preferably heated by simmering in water for less than 10 minutes to be sufficiently softened. A further advantage of the pearled grain of the present invention is that products in which discoloration of waxy, hulless grain causes a problem could preferably be made from waxy, hulled grain. In general, a product made from the grain of a waxy, hulless barley line can also be made from the grain of a waxy, hulled barley line, with the further improvement that grain from a hulled line will not have as significant a discoloration problem as the grain of a hulless line.

The invention will be further understood with reference to the following illustrative embodiments, which are purely exemplary, and should not be taken as limiting the true scope of the present invention as described in the claims.

EXAMPLE 1 Varietal Comparison of Waxy. Hulled and Waxy. Hulless Barley

A waxy, hulled line named Don was compared to two waxy, hulless varieties named Bob and .Antelope. Don is derived from a cross of North Dakota line 187-631-10 with the cultivar Bowman. Line 187-631-10 is homozygous for the recessive wx allele and displays the waxy starch phenotype. After repeated backcrossing to the Bowman parent, a line having the waxy gene introgressed into the Bowman genetic background was obtained. The zebra stripe trait was also introduced into the Bowman background during the breeding process. This trait, which confers white zebra stripes on the lower leaves, is conditioned by the recessive zb allele present in line 187-631-10. Don has, in general, the characteristics of Bowman with the addition of the wx and the zb genes. Because Don has similar morphological and agronomic characteristics to Bowman, Don can be grown in the same general geographic areas suitable for Bowman.

The data in Table 1 provide a comparison of Don to two other waxy lines, Bob and Antelope. The results in Table 1 show that Don differs in certain traits from the other two varieties, the most important being the hulled trait, which is present in Don and absent in Bob and .Antelope.

TABLE 1. Varietal Comparison Data^*

VAR GRTHBT SPIKE COLCLR LVEBOT 1STFLB

Don Spring 2-rowed Green Green Upright, waxy, not curled

Bob Spring 2-rowed Green Green Upright, waxy, not curled

Antelope Spring 2-rowed Green Green Upright, waxy, not curled

VAR l .STFLW l≤IELL AUR EΔSLS TOH

Don 1.2 cm 240 mm white,yes yes, white* midseason

Bob 1.2 cm 240 mm white,yes yes, purple^ midseason

Antelope 8 cm 300 mm white,yes yes, white^c midseason

NAR SIMC E STMSTR STMΝCK SIMCLL STMEXS

Don white mod.stiff straight closed intermed.

Bob white mod. stiff straight closed intermed.

Antelope white weak straight closed intermed. NAR PLTHTAV PLTHTRG SPKSHP aSPKDEN SPKPOS

Don 80 cm 60-95 cm fusiform lax erect

Bob 80 60-95 fusiform lax erect

Antelope 85 cm 60-100 cm fusiform lax nodding

VAR SEKLEΝ SPKWAX SPKHAR SPKSTR GLMLEN

Don mid-long waxy few 0-4% 1/2 of kernel

Bob mid-long waxy few 0-4% 1/2 of kernel

Antelope long waxy covered 0-1% 1/2 of kernel

NAR GLMHAR GLMHLN GLMALN GLMASF LEMTYP

Don confined to band long equal glume semismooth long

Bob confined to band long equal glume semismooth long

Antelope complete covered long equal glume rough long

VAR LEMΔSE LEM3HΝ LEMHAR LEMSHP LEMHRR

Don semismooth absent absent traverse-crease long

Bob semismooth absent absent traverse-crease long

Antelope rough absent absent depression long

VAR KERTYP KE RΝ KERLEN AVGWT ZEB

Don covered semi- wrinkled 9.0-10.0 mm 44 gm 100%

Bob naked n/a d 7.0-8.0 mm 40 gm 5-10%

Antelope naked n/a 7.0-8.2 mm 32 gm 0%

VAR TUVHBT WX YIELD

Don erect waxy 3430

Bob semi-prostrate waxy 3185

Antelope erect waxy 3920

The terms used in the column ] readings in the Table, are defined as follows:

GRTHBT = Refers to the spring or winter grc >wth habit for barley SPIKE = Refers to the number of rows on the head; most barleys have either 2 or

6 rows.

COLCLR = The color of the coleoptile.

LVEBOT = Color of the plant leaves at the boot stage. Colors range from yellow- green to blue-green.

1STFLB = Morphology of the flag leaf at the boot stage. The morphology is upright or drooping, curled or not curled, and waxy, slightly waxy, or not waxy.

1STFLW = Average width of the first leaf below the flag leaf.

1STFLL = Average length of the first leaf below the flag leaf. AUR = Color of the auricles and the presence or absence of pubescence. The color is generally either white or purple.

BASLS = Presence or absence of pubescence and the color of the basal leaf sheath at the seedling stage. The color is generally either white or purple.

TOH = Average time of heading. Time of heading is generally either early, midseason, or late.

STMCLR = Color of the stem, generally expressed as either white or purple.

STMSTR = Strength of the stem, generally expressed as either weak, moderately stiff, or stiff .

STMNCK = Shape of the stem neck generally expressed as either straight or snaky.

STMCLL = Shape of the stem collar generally expressed as either closed, open, or v-shaped.

STMEXS = Exsertion of the stem generally expressed as either slight, intermediate, or fully exserted. PLTHTAV = The average height of the plant at maturity.

PLTHTRG = The range of the plant heights at maturity.

SPKSHP = The shape of the spike, generally either fusiform, oblong, or clavate.

SPKDEN = The density of the spike, generally either lax, lax to dense, or dense.

SPKPOS = The position of the spike at maturity, generally either erect, inclined, or nodding.

SPKLEN = Length of the spike at maturity, generally either short, mid-long, or long. SPKWX = Waxiness of the spike, generally either waxy, slightly waxy or not waxy.

SPKHAR = Hairiness of the rachis edge, generally either lacking, few, or covered.

SPKSTR = The percentage of sterile spikelets and florets, ranging from 0% to 100%.

GLMLEN = The length of the glumes relative to kernel length, generally either

1/3 as long, 1/2 as long, or >l/2 as long.

GLMHAR = Hairiness of the glumes, generally either completely covered, confined to band, restricted to middle, or no hairiness. GTLMHLN = Length of the hairs on the glumes, generally either long, short, or no hairs.

GLMALN = Length of the awn relative to glume length, generally expressed as less than, equal to, or more than the glume length.

GLMASF = Surface of the awns, generally expressed as smooth, semi-smooth, or rough.

LEMTYP = The type of lemma, generally expressed as either elevated hoods, sessile hoods, awnless on all rows, awnlets on central rows and awnless on lateral rows, short on central rows and awnlets on lateral rows, short (< length of spike), equal (equal length of spike), or long (>length of spike). LEMASF = Surface of awns (if any), generally expressed as smooth, semi-smooth, or rough.

LEMTHN = Number of teeth on the nerves of the lemma, generally expressed as absent, few, or numerous.

LEMHAR = Presence or absence of hairs on the lemma. LEMSHP = Shape of the lemma at the base on the dorsal side, generally expressed as either depression, slight crease, or traverse crease.

LEMHRR = Length of the hairs on the rachilla, generally expressed as either short or long.

KERTYP = Type of kernel, generally expressed as either naked or covered. Naked kernels are the same as hulless kernels. The hulless phenotype is conditioned by the recessive n allele at the N genetic locus. KERWRN = Morphology of the hull (if covered), generally expressed as either wrinkled, semi-wrinkled, slightly wrinkled.

KERLEN = Length of a typical kernel, generally expressed as either, short, short to mid-long, mid-long, mid-long to long, or long. AVGWT = Average weight per 1,000 seeds.

ZEB = Percentage of zebra striping on the lower leaves, generally leaves 1 and 2.

This trait generally is not seen on leaves above the third leaf. It results in white stripes running parallel to the axis of the leaf. The zebra striping phenotype is conditioned by the recessive zb allele at the Zb genetic locus. WX = Presence or absence of waxy starch in the mature kernel, expressed as waxy or normal. The waxy phenotype results in a brown staining of the starch in a standard iodine test. The waxy phenotype is conditioned by the recessive wx allele at the waxy locus.

YIELD = Yield of grain expressed in kilograms per hectare. This number is an average from 3 years of testing for Don, 2 years of testing for Bob, and 1 year of testing for Antelope. a Predominantly white with slight purple pigmentation. ^b Predominantly white with slight purple pigmentation in 70 % of the plants.

Intense purple pigmentation in 30 % of the plants. c Predominantly white with very slight purple pigmentation. d n/a = not applicable.

The composition of the grain from a waxy, hulled line and a waxy, hulless line are compared in Table 2. The data in this table show that the hulled trait, which is present in the variety Don, does not significantly affect the amount of beta-glucans in the grain. Thus it is clear that Don should provide an amount of beta-glucans equivalent to that provided by a hulless variety.

It will also be noted that Don has similar amounts of crude protein, starch and dry matter compared to the waxy, hulless line (Table 2). These results indicate that Don should be similar in nutritional value to a waxy, hulless line when fed to animals. Don has high levels of arabinose, xylose, and glucose in the non-starch polysaccharides, compared to the hulless variety Bob. High levels of these sugars are typically not found in other lines of barley.

Table 2.

Composition ι of hulless and hulled waxy barley lines (dry basis)

Bob Don

(hulless) (hulled)

Dry Matter (%) 90.20 88.40

Crude Protein(%) 14.48 15.57

Beta-Glucans (%)

Total 6.71 6.44

Acid-Soluble 6.01 5.17

Acid Detergent Fiber (%) 2.17 6.20

Starch (%) 69.70 63.55

Non-Starch Polysaccharides

(mg/gm)

Arabinose 9.2 26.3

Xylose 13.9 92.4

Mannose 2.7 1.9

Galactose 0.2 2.8

Glucose 44.3 99.4

Uronic Acids 2.8 5.8

EXAMPLE 2

Compos ition of Pearled. Uncooked Barlev

Mature grain harvested from Don barley and HV waxy, hulless barley was pearled according to standard procedures. After pearling, the composition of the grain was determined. Results are shown in Table 3 as well as analogous data from pearled grain of standard feed barley. These data show that Don (with the waxy, hulled genotype, wx,N) has a high level of soluble fiber, as does HV ( with the waxy, hulless genotype, wx, n). Grain from the line Don would be expected to possess the same properties as other waxy lines during processing.

Table 3.

Composition of Pearled, Uncooked Grain from Three Barley Genotypes

Assay* Genotype »*

WX,N wx.n WX.N

Fat 1.8 % 2-3 % 2-3 %

_ _ _ % nf lo*

16:0 Palmitic 20.7 % 17 % 17 %

18:0 Stearic 1.6 % 1 % 1 %

18:1 Oleic 7.8 % 14 % 14 %

18:2 Linoleic 44.5 % 40 % 40 %

18:3 Linolenic 2.8 % 3 % 3 %

Crude Fiber 0.7 % 1-1.5 % 4-6 %

Total Dietary Fiber 9.8 % 13-23.5 % 13-18 %

Insoluble Dietary Fiber 3.0 % 6-10 % 8-10 %

Soluble Dietary Fiber 6.1 % 6-12 % 1-2 %

Thiamine HC1 1.6 ppm 5.0 ppm 5.0 ppm

Pyridoxine HC1 1.95 ppm 7.3 ppm 7.3 ppm

Biotin 0.039 ppm 0.17 ppm 0.17 ppm

Choline CI 1400 ppm 1177 ppm 1177 ppm

Folic Acid 0.195 ppm 0.6 ppm 0.6 ppm

Niacin 30.7 ppm 94 ppm 94 ppm

Vitamin E (Tocopherols) 6-7 ppm 6-10 ppm 6-10 ppm

* .Amounts expressed on a dry weight basis.

** wx,N data is derived from Don grain; wx,n data is derived from HV grain;

Wx,N data is derived from grain of a standard normal feed barley. EXAMPLE 3 Properties of Selected Barley Grains after Various Processing Treatments

Pearled grain from the barley variety Don was cooked as follows: about 700 ml of water were brought to a full boil in a 1.4 liter aluminum pan on a stovetop, and about 230 ml of pearled Don barley grain was stirred into the boiling water. The heat was reduced, the mixture was allowed to simmer uncovered, and samples were removed for testing at various times. For comparison, pearled grain from the standard barley variety Robust was cooked in the same manner. Robust has normal starch and has the hulled trait. Both types of barley were scored for bite and chew, color, flavor, and other measures of the final product. A score of 1 indicates a positive perception and a score of 5 indicates an unsatisfactory perception. The results are shown in Table 4.

The results demonstrate that the Don barley was cooked to sufficient softness in 10 minutes to be suitable for inclusion in a food such as a salad without further cooking. In 21 minutes the Don barley was cooked to sufficient softness to be suitable for inclusion in a food such as a cereal or a soup without further cooking. In contrast, the Robust barley still had a firm bite and chew after 30 minutes as evidenced by the score of 4. A score of 4 or higher is considered to make the product unsatisfactory for use as a human food product.

At 21 minutes the Don barley was described as having neutral to sweet taste, and was given a score of 1 by the rater. The Robust barley had a score of 4 in the flavor category and was described as having a grainy taste. This score is considered to reflect a less attractive flavor for use of the product in human food. Robust barley is a barley line that is normally used in the preparation of soup for human consumption.

Both cooked products were allowed to cool to room temperature and allowed to stand at room temperature for 4 hours. The Robust barley product turned brown after 4 hours, whereas the Don barley product remained light in color. It is desirable for the product to have a light appearance because consumers perceive food items that turn brown as unwholesome or unappealing. Table 4.

Properties of pearled Don and Robust barley food products after cooking for various times.

10 minutes 21 minutes 30 minutes

Don EobllSi Don Roi-iisi Don Eofcusi

Flavor³ n.d.^e n.d. 1 4 n.d. 4

Bite &Chewb 3 5 1 4 n.d. 4

Color n.d. n.d. 1 3 n.d. n.d.

Volume^d (cups) n.d. n.d. 3 3 n.d. n.d.

Stickiness n.d. n.d. Yes No n.d. n.d.

Unabsorbed water n.d. n.d. No n.d. n.d. n.d.

a Scale of 1 to 5, 1 = Neutral to Sweet, 5 = Grainy to Slightly Sour b Scale of 1 to 5, 1= Soft, 5= Hard c Scale of 1 to 5, 1= Light, 5 = Dark ^d Measured on cooked, drained product ^e n.d. = not determined

Pearled grain from the Don variety was also stabilized by heating in an infrared heating apparatus described in U.S. Patent 5,024,145. Following stabilization, the grain was thick rolled in a roller mill to a thickness of either about 1.25 mm or to about 1.80 mm. One cup of the pearled, stabilized, thick rolled grain was cooked on a stovetop exactly as described above. Samples were removed for testing at various times and scored for various properties as described above. The results are shown in Table 5.

When thick rolled to about 1.80 mm, Don grain was described as having a medium soft bite after 5 minutes. At 7 minutes the grain was described as having a soft bite, a very light roast color, and a neutral flavor. These properties are satisfactory for use of the product as a food ingredient, and are reflected in the scores given to the product. When Don grain was thick rolled to 1.25 mm, the time required to cook the grain to a bite and chew score of 1 was only 2 minutes (Table 5). The color was still judged to be a very light roast and the flavor was judged to be neutral. The cooking time of 2 minutes under these conditions may be compared to the cooking time of 21 minutes for pearled, unstabilized Don grain to reach a bite and chew score of 1 shown in Table 4.

Table 5.

Properties of pearled, stabilized, thick rolled Don barley food product after cooking for various times.

Trait Cooking Time Thick rolled Thick rolled L to about 1.25 mm to about 1.80 mm

2 minutes 5 minutes 7 minutes

Flavor 2 n.d. 2

Bite & Chew 1 3 1

Color 2 n.d. 2

Volume (ml) 820 n.d. 470

Stickiness No n.d. No

Unabsorbed water ( ml) 470 n.d. 235

The foregoing detailed description has been provided for a better understanding of the invention only and no unnecessary limitation should be understood therefrom as some modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without deviating from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. A composition comprising milled grain from waxy, hulled barley, and a food.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said grain is the variety Don.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composition is suitable for consumption by pets.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composition is suitable for consumption by humans.

5. A fast-cook barley food ingredient comprising waxy, hulled barley milled under conditions effective to allow substantially complete cooking of said milled barley by heating said milled barley in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 25 minutes.

6. The barley food ingredient of claim 5 wherein said milling conditions comprise pearling.

7. The barley food ingredient of claim 5 wherein said milling conditions comprise double pearling.

8. The barley food ingredient of claim 5 wherein said barley is of the variety Don.

9. A soup comprising the barley food ingredient of claim 5.

10. A pet food comprising the barley food ingredient of claim 5.

11. The barley food ingredient of claim 5 wherein said milled barley has a high level of arabinose, xylose, and glucose in non-starch polysaccharides.

12. The barley food ingredient of claim 5 wherein said milled barley has about 26 mg/gm arabinose, about 92 mg/gm xylose and about 99 mg/gm glucose in non-starch polysaccharides.

13. A fast-cook barley food ingredient comprising waxy, hulled barley milled and stabilized under conditions effective to allow substantially complete cooking of said milled barley by heating said milled barley in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 10 minutes.

14. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said milling conditions comprise pearling.

15. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said milling conditions comprise double pearling.

16. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said stabilizing conditions comprise heating with an infrared heating apparatus.

17. The barley food ingredient of claim 16 wherein said infrared heating apparatus comprises a bulk material radiation processor.

18. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said barley is the variety Don.

19. A soup comprising the barley food ingredient of claim 12.

20. A pet food comprising the barley food ingredient of claim 12.

21. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said milled barley has a high level of arabinose, xylose, and glucose in non-starch polysaccharides.

22. The barley food ingredient of claim 12 wherein said milled barley has about 26 mg/gm arabinose, about 92 mg/gm xylose and about 99 mg/gm glucose in non-starch polysaccharides.

23. A cooked barley food ingredient suitable for use in food, comprising waxy, hulled barley milled under conditions effective to allow substantially complete cooking of said barley by heating in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 25 minutes, and cooked by heating in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 25 minutes.

24. The cooked barley food ingredient of claim 23 wherein said barley is the variety Don.

25. A soup comprising the cooked barley food ingredient of claim 23.

26. A barley pilaf comprising the cooked barley food ingredient of claim 23.

27. A pet food comprising the cooked food barley ingredient of claim 23.

28. A method for producing a barley food ingredient, comprising the steps of: (a) milling waxy, hulled barley under conditions effective to allow substantially complete cooking of said barley when said barley is heated in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 25 minutes, and (b) cooking said barley by heating in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 25 minutes.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said milling conditions comprise pearling.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein said milling conditions comprise double pearling.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein said waxy hulled barley is the barley variety Don.

32. A method for producing a barley food ingredient, comprising the steps of: (a) milling and stabilizing waxy, hulled barley grain under conditions effective to allow substantially complete cooking of said barley when said barley is heated in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 10 minutes, and (b) cooking said barley by heating in water at essentially ambient pressure for less than 10 minutes.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said milling conditions comprising pearling waxy, hulled barley.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said stabilizing conditions comprise heating waxy, hulled barley with an infrared heating apparatus.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said infrared heating apparatus comprises a bulk material radiation processor.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein said stabilizing conditions are subsequent to said milling conditions.