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Bangor Naked Barley Project Achievements

2013

Presentation at Innovation Farm Key Challenge event - Bio-fortification and dietary choice - and demonstration plot at Cereals 2013

2012

Bangor University's Naked Barley demonstrated at Innovation Farm, Cambridge

2011

Glycemic Index of Bangor's Naked Barley tested by Prof. Gary Frost at Imperial College London

2010

Key messages emerging from the projet:

  • Naked barley grain has high levels of beta-glucan soluble fibre and could deliver real public health benefits in ameliorating the serious problems of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
  • Bread made from a mixture of naked barley and wheat flour by a local bakery has sold very well and won second place in the national ‘True Taste of Wales’ competition earlier in the year.
  • Pre-breeding screening and selection trials have shown that ‘exotic’ varieties of naked barley have high beta-glucan levels that can be incorporated into higher yielding genetic backgrounds by crossing with UK varieties.
  • Currently listed UK barley varieties are unsuitable for food use due to their covered grain and low beta-glucan content.
  • Naked barley varieties from Europe, Middle East and Asia are low yielding, susceptible to lodging and foliar diseases when grown in the UK.
  • The awareness amongst farmers, processors and consumers of the potential of naked barley has increased during this project.
  • A pre-breeding programme has identified promising novel varieties from crosses between naked and hulled varieties. Two breeding lines show good performance in field trials at Henfaes.

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