Barley for Food and Health: Science, Technology, and Products

168 BARLEY FOOD PRODUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
cultivars, two hulled and one hulless, which were roller-milled into flour. The
barley flours were combined with yogurt, yeast, onions, green and red peppers,
spices, and salt. The mixture was fermented, covered, at 30 ◦ Cforfivedays.
Batches were also prepared with wheat and a 1 : 1 wheat–barley blend. After
fermentation, tarhana was dried at room temperature before grinding and sieving.
The β-glucan content of the barley flours ranged from 2.8 to 4.25% and in the dry
barley tarhana from 2.4 to 3.6%. Soups were made by mixing 40 g of tarhana
with 500 mL of water and simmering for 10 minutes with constant stirring.
The differences between products were not substantial enough to affect sensory
evaluation. The use of barley flours affected color values, with some viscosity
differences in the soups. The authors addressed the possibility of some destruction
of β-glucan during fermentation, and concluded that despite small losses, barley
flours were still a desirable ingredient to produce tarhana with more healthy
properties. Kavut is another indigenous cereal product consumed in the eastern
regions of Turkey. Whole-meal wheat and barley grains are generally used in the
production of this sweet food. The whole grains are first roasted and then ground
by stone milling. Milk, sugar, and butter are kneaded into the coarse whole grain
to form balls or patties. Karaodlu and Kotancilar (2006) made kavut with Turkish
wheat and barley that were roasted using three different heating periods at 250 ◦ C.
Grains were ground and used in different proportions, combined with the other
ingredients, then formed into shapes, wrapped, and stored. The length of the grain
roasting process affected the softness and color of kavut, but not to the extent of
altering taste panel acceptance. However, increased proportion of barley in kavut
generally decreased the overall sensory quality. The best level of taste and flavor
of wheat–barley blends was 1 : 1, but panelists still preferred all-whole wheat
kavut.
The word porridge in modern times means a soft food made of cereal or
meal boiled in water or milk until thick. The original term pottage referred to
a thick soup or stew made from vegetables and/or meat (Webster’s New World
Dictionary, 1986 edition). The latter meaning can therefore include many traditional
cereal based foods that in earlier times could have served as one-dish
meals. Today, porridge generally refers to a hot breakfast cereal that is served
with milk and sometimes with a sweetener. A thinner form, gruel, isusedasa
weaning food in many cultures. Pedersen et al. (1989) investigated the use of
a Danish high-lysine barley cultivar to enhance the nutritional value of barley
gruel for infants in developing countries. The high-lysine barley contained 4.9 g
of lysine per 16 g of nitrogen, compared to 3.8 g in the control normal barley.
This high-lysine barley can provide a safe level of protein intake for infants
and small children based on World Health Organization recommendations. The
rationale was that if 60% of a 1-year-old child’s energy intake is derived from
barley gruel, the gruel will provide 94% of the child’s total protein requirement,
twice that provided by a normal barley or wheat, and three to four times that of
maize. To meet 60% of energy requirements, a child would need to consume at
least four meals of 200 to 300 mL of gruel a day. Hansen et al. (1989) further
investigated viscosity as a factor in ease of consumption for weanling children.