The content of water-soluble and water-insoluble β-d-glucans in selected oats and barley varieties

In this paper, data on the inter-variety variability in chemical composition of oats and barley are summarized. The obtained results show that the content of soluble glucans decreases in the following order: barley (3.75 ± 0.14–7.96 ± 0.09 g/100 g of dry mass) ⩾ naked oats (3.91 ± 0.15–7.47 ± 0.06 g/100 g of dry mass) > hulled oats (1.97 ± 0.08–4.09 ± 0.19 g/100 g of dry mass), whereas the content of insoluble glucans decreases in the order: hulled oats (33.73 ± 1.55–13.79 ± 0.51 g/100 g of dry mass) > barley (10.89 ± 0.60–21.70 ± 0.73 g/100 g of dry mass) > naked oats (5.15 ± 0.06–10.80 ± 0.54 g/100 g of dry mass). When comparing the content of insoluble β-glucan in whole flour, bran and flour it was found that the content decreases from the outer coat to the endosperm. These results were confirmed for both cereals mentioned.In this work, the influence of warehousing duration on the change in quantity of soluble β-glucans when stored at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C) and in a refrigerator (8 ± 2 °C) was monitored. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the content of soluble β-glucans decreases with time. Slower alteration in soluble β-glucans content was detected in samples stored in refrigeration; however, lower temperatures did not halt the decrease of soluble β-glucans content in ground samples. The results show the need for stating the duration of warehousing from the time the sample was processed.