Determination of Non-Starch Polysaccharides in Barley Breeding Programmes1

A technique is described for the selection of low extractable non-starch polysaccharide content in early generations of barley breeding programmes. An estimate of extractable β-glucan is obtained from the viscosity of an extract prepared by mashing barley at 50°C in an α-amylase-papain solution. The procedure is calibrated using solutions of known concentration of β-glucan precipitated from barley extract by ethanol.