Spring
2016
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happen when food barley was co-milled with wheat. At that
time, the study looked at 15 per cent food barley and CWRS
wheat. Funding ended, but the idea sat at the back of Sarkar’s
mind as a potential way to improve barley milling.
Then, a er attending a food barley research industry-sharing
event two-and-a-half years ago, there was another mention of
the co-milling potential. As a result, the opportunity opened up
to work with Alberta Barley. This most recent project ran from
April 2014 to March 2015.
The potential of milling hulless barley for flour is multi-levelled.
Hulless barley means there’s no need for pre-processing to
remove hulls, thus eliminating a step for millers.
Garson Law, Alberta Barley’s research manager, pointed out
that eliminating the need to temper the barley prior to milling
makes the job easier for processing.
The fact that there’s less processing creates a flour
considered “whole” by industry, Sopiwnyk said, which is
also an advantage. Research results showed that, with some
baking of the barley/wheat flour, the bread satisfied the Health
Canada nutritional claims for barley beta-glucan. “This will
help (processors) develop more healthy products without the
added costs of new equipment,” she said.
Meeting those health claims is critical in the food industry,
as consumer awareness and interest in functional foods grows.
Health Canada’s health claim states that consuming food
barley can reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate blood
glucose levels.
Law is encouraged by the results and the potential they hold.
“We scratched the surface of what would need to be done.
We’re still deciding where we want to go next with this. A lot of
that has to do with interest from the value chain,” he said.
Locking in that value chain before heading down the path of
production is key, he said, but the research lays the foundation
for future success. “We’ve shown the potential with this
project.”
One challenge that Cigi researchers faced was having
enough sample barley to do a full round of testing, Law said.
However, he acknowledged the difficulty of getting a crop into
the ground that doesn’t yet have an established market.
“It's a chicken-and-egg problem. The farmers are not going
to grow it unless they can see a market, and the processors
aren’t going to commit to products unless they have a steady,
reliable supply,” he said.
For Alberta Barley, it’s all part of building the foundation
in order to realize the potential. The GoBarley campaign,
administered through the Barley Council of Canada, targets
consumers and helps foster interest among the general public.
Law said the commission works in part to create consumer and
food manufacturer awareness of the benefits of consuming
barley products. Still, moving a new product from inception of
an idea to the grocery store shelves requires a concerted effort
by the entire value chain, he said.
“No one group can do everything. The trick is to bring those
entities together,” Law said, and be ready with the products as
consumer interest—and therefore demand—begins to grow.
Alberta Barley creates the platform for discussion between
members of the value chain.
So, is the potential reality of commercialization close enough
for farmers to plant hulless barley this spring for milling flour?
Not quite, Law said. It goes back to the need for more research
into flour mixes and baking in order to get the barley into the
ground. And for that to happen, more hulless barley samples
are needed. That means Alberta Barley is seeking acreage
where samples can be planted.
Although timelines can vary greatly—from a few months
to a dozen years—when all of the players are in place and
motivated, commercialization can happen quickly. Law
referred to one foreign trade mission that arrived in Alberta
with a team made up of the entire value chain. Eighteen
months later, Duga Barley had product on the grocery shelves
in Norway.
“They were all ready to go. They had identified the market
and were willing to work together to develop products that
consumers wanted,” he said.
That’s possible in Canada, too, he added.
“We’ve got all the pieces that one would need to have
success with barley bread and other products. What remains
to be seen is how much consumer interest is out there, and
identifying a food processor to work with. A lot of work is
going into creating the interest.”
BLENDED FAMILY:
Cigi’s senior advisor in milling technology
Ashok Sarkar (left) and director of grain quality Elaine Sopiwnyk led
the institute’s barley and wheat co-milling project.
