Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 grainswest.com 49 GRAIN SCIENCE NEWS BY IAN DOIG • PHOTO COURTESY OF AAFC New hulless barley a fit for farmers and food producers Pigment appeal A NEWHULLESS FOOD BARLEY variety dubbed “black caviar” is now available for seed companies to license. Produced by a breeder at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research and Development Centre, the currently unnamed HB23150 will be available to farmers in two to three years once it is licensed, registered and propogated. Black, blue or purple grains often contain higher levels of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants linked to health benefits that may include protection against diabetes, heart disease and obe- sity. The food industry has taken notice of the health benefits produced by these natural pigments. “We were also aware the consumption of foods with high anthocyanins content has been linked to lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and cancer,” said Ana Badea, the crop breeder who devel- oped HB23150. In registration trials, the new variety also demonstrated good adaptability and strong agronomic performance across Western Canada. “Coloured barley [is] known to have low agronomic perfor- mance,” said Badea. “This was a big challenge to overcome when developing coloured barley cultivars for Canada.” A solid performer, HB23150 yields on par with check variety CDC McGwire and its lodging resistance is similar to CDC Rattan. High kernel weight and plumpness as well as loose hull adher- ence, which improves processing efficien- cy, are also among its desirable traits. Additionally, it demonstrates moderate resistance to stem rust, surface smuts and loose smut and intermediate resist- ance to spot form net blotch, spot blotch and Fusarium head blight. “It will be very interesting to see how it performs in our farmers’ fields,” said Badea. As for processing and end-use characteristics, HB23150 demon- strates improved pearling and milling attributes against check cultivars. The variety is a good source of protein and dietary fibre, par- ticularly beta-glucans, according to testing done by Marta Izydorczyk, a milling and malting research scientist with the Canadian Grain Com- mission’s Grain Research Laboratory. The phenolic compounds responsible for the barley’s dark pigmentation have strong antioxidant capacity and potential anti-inflammatory benefits, she noted. Barley has a nat- urally low glycemic index, and the high fibre and phenolic content in HB23150 further enhance this effect. “We are conducting work to demon- strate the usefulness of HB23150 in slow energy release foods,” said Izydorczyk. “It performs well in processing and can be readily made into convenient food formats such as steel cut grain, flakes and flour. These products have a distinc- tive dark and speckled appearance that stands out and may appeal to health con- scious consumers looking for nutritious, whole grain options.” Meanwhile, Badea and fellow staff in the Brandon breeding program continue to develop two row malting barley and two row hulless food varieties. The pro- gram produced Millhouse in 2003 and Roseland in 2011, both yellow hulless cultivars intended for milling. Badea also produced AAC Magenta, a purple variety that became the first coloured barley registered in Canada in 2024. A pre-licensing agreement for Magenta is in place with Progressive Foods of Edmon- ton, which produces the Snappy Grains line of pre-cooked barley products. Badea noted she is not a marketing expert but suggested an awareness cam- paign to promote the health benefits of hulless barley may increase its adoption by farmers and agri-food producers. As is the case with malting barley, she added, a pricing premium will ensure farmers produce a continuous supply of these specialty varieties. Produced by breeder Ana Badea, the barley's black pigment is known to be associated with a host of health benefits.