WAXY GENE EFFECTS ON BETA-GLUCAN, DIETARY FIBER CONTENT AND VISCOSITY OF BARLEYS

Six waxy barley lines derived from 2 cultivars by a backcrossing breeding program at Montana State University were compared with the normal parents to investigate the effect of the waxy gene on total, soluble and insoluble beta-glucan, dietary fiber content, and viscosity. Total and insoluble beta-glucan content were consistently higher in the waxy (6.60 and 2.62%) than in the normal (4.93 and 1.59%), respectively. The overall means of soluble beta-glucan and dietary fiber were significantly higher (p < .01) in waxy barley isolines. Viscosity was higher in all waxy barley genotypes than in non-waxy types. The correlation coefficient was .88 (P < .01) for total beta-glucan content vs. viscosity of alkaline extracts over all genotypes. These data imply that waxy barley has a great potential for human food because of the distinct health advantages of soluble dietary fiber.