Scope of food barley research and development in India

Abstract

Since last two decades there are several reports on health benefitting properties of barley especially because of higher grain beta-glucan content as compared to other cereals. Regular consumption of barley can help in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases besides providing several other health benefits. Since most of the Indian population consumes cereals as their staple diet, there seems to be a potential for increased consumption of barley in the form of multigrain product/s to make the diet more healthy. In opinion article the potential uses of barley in Indian context has been discussed in brief.