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Scanning Electron Microscopic examination of ancient (3000 year old) barley, malt and wheat grains indicated that the slow-drying conditions in the desert location preserved cell structure and made it possible to discern features of the aleurone layer, cell wall plasmodesmata pores and the starchy endosperms of barley and malt which are not readily seen in present-day cereal grains.
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G. H. Palmer (1995) studied this question.
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