Effects of cultivar and environment on β-glucan content and malting quality of Turkish barleys

Eight barley cultivars grown under the same agronomic conditions and samples of Tokak cultivar grown at six different sites of Turkey were used in this study. There were significant differences among the barley cultivars and growing locations in terms of beta-glucan content (p<0.05). Among malt quality criteria tested for the 8 barley cultivars; friability, viscosity, Kolbach index and extract difference showed significant correlations (p<0.05) with the total beta-glucan content. Similar correlations were also observed between the malt quality criteria (Kolbach index and extract difference) and beta-glucan contents for the Tokak samples grown at different sites.