Optimization of air classification for the production of β-glucan-enriched barley flours

Barley grains contain a relevant amount of soluble fibre (i.e. β-glucans) and can be used for production of foods with healthy functions. To produce barley flours enriched in β-glucans, grain micronization and air classification of the flour was used, and a method to predict the relationship between the yield of the enriched flour and its β-glucan content was developed. This method is based on a series of sortings of micronized flour, with a progressive increase in the yield of a selected fraction; a curve for β-glucan enrichment vs. yield can then be calculated. Thus, the most suitable combination of yield and β-glucan content can be chosen. We tested this approach on two hull-less barleys with different starch type, and obtained barley flour fractions with twice the β-glucan concentration that the grain had. Enriched flour fractions with 11.2 and 15.6% β-glucans were obtained from cultivars Priora (hull-less) and CDC Alamo (waxy, hull-less), respectively, with a good flour yield (about 30%). We suggest that our method can be adopted for finely tuning the enrichment process to meet the industry's needs.