Barley as Animal Feed

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In addition to starch, barley contains complex carbohydrates assumed to be beneficial to human and perhaps also livestock health. The Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences (IHA) / Aquaculture Protein Centre (APC) will cooperate with Matforsk and the Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (IKBM) to study how different barley fractions and processing methods affect the nutritional value and the health status (intestinal health) in monogastric animals.

“Added Value Products from Barley” (ADDBAR) is the title of a 4-year project coordinated by Matforsk and funded by the Research Council of Norway. The project, with a total budget of NOK 11.6 million, is a cooperation between Matforsk, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), APC, SINTEF Applied Chemistry, the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The research in the project will be coordinated with the EU project REPRO (Reducing Food Processing Waste).

Barley is the predominant cereal crop in Norway. The annual output of about 600,000 tonnes accounts for 45-55 % of Norway’s total cereal production. Whereas wheat primarily is grown for human consumption, barley is mainly used as an ingredient in livestock feed mixtures.

Compared to ruminants, monogastric animals such as chickens, pigs and fish have little fermentation and bacterial decomposition in their digestive systems. Especially fish such as salmon and cod have low levels of microbial activity in their intestines. In monogastric animals, starch is hydrolysed in the anterior part of the intestine, while the enzymatic capacity for hydrolysis of complex polysaccharides is less significant. Thus, undigested fibre fractions become available to bacteria in the posterior part of the digestive system.

Bacteria utilise fibre as an energy source, and the aim is thus to stimulate the “right” kind of microorganisms. As microbiologists are fond of saying – there are only three kinds of bacteria: the “good, the bad and the ugly!” In this connection, it is important to avoid the growth of the “bad and the ugly”, and to stimulate the “good”. So far, we know little about the prebiotic effects of various fibre structures in barley. One of the project’s goals is thus to separate and characterise different oligo and polysaccharides to study how these affect the bacterial population and the intestinal health of the animals. In addition to studying mechanical separation and extraction (Matforsk), we will cooperate with IKBM to find the right enzymes for breaking down fibre structures. Based on the results from the fractionation, we can determine which fractions enhance the development/growth of beneficial bacteria.

In addition to studying the prebiotic effects of barley and barley components, we will attempt to improve barley’s nutritional value through process optimisation. Interactions betweens fibres and other nutrients can reduce both energy and nutrient availability in monogastric animals. By pre-incubating barley under controlled conditions we can activate endogenous enzymes in barley, while added enzymes can break down complex carbohydrates.

Published: 13.08.07
Updated: 14.05.09
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