Barley is one of the first cereal crops ever domesticated by humankind. Barley is considered to be one of the most nutritious cereals and is therefore consumed as a popular health food. Its nutritional content primarily consists of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat and protein, as well as vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin B6 and C. Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc are the minerals which are also included in barley.

Barley malt is a syrup made from sprouted barley grains by toasting and grounding them. In this process, complex carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars. The malt has subtly sweet in taste. Some health benefits of barley malt consumption are as follows:

•  Helps in lowering cholesterol

•  Barley malt syrup is used for treating fevers, digestive disorders, diarrhea and irritable bladders.

•  It is also helpful in dry coughs

•  Sprouted barley malt is rich in antioxidants because of the presence of chlorophyll in it which helps combat intestinal and skin disorders most effectively.

•  The presence of beta glucan in barley malt helps maintain required levels of blood sugar in the body.

•  Dietary fiber contained in barley malt aids in fighting coronary heart diseases.

Preparation :

Barley malt is mainly available in the form of syrups.

References :

Anderson JW, Hanna TJ, Peng X, Kryscio RJ. Whole grain foods and heart disease risk. J Am Coll Nutr 2000 Jun;19(3 Suppl):291S-9S 2000. PMID:17670.

Bansal HC, Strivastava KN, Eggum BO, Mehta SL. Nutritional evaluation of high protein genotypes of barley. J Sci Food Agric 1977 Feb;28(2):157-60 1977. PMID:16310.

Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, Loria CM, Whelton PK. Dietary fiber intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Arch Intern Med. 2003 Sep 8;163(16):1897-904 2003.

Behall KM, Scholfield DJ, Hallfrisch J. Diets containing barley significantly reduce lipids in mildly