Ground Whole Grain Barley

Barley is harvested as a cereal grain and milled for use in food and feed. Removing any tough outer hull leaves the edible kernel; grinding that kernel makes a dry ingredient that mixes into kibble.^8,10

1. 01 // Source Barley kernels Harvested kernels contain starch, bran and germ beneath a tough hull, unless the variety sheds its hull at harvest.
2. 02 // Process Hull removed For covered barley, the inedible hull is taken off while the bran and germ remain with the kernel.
3. 03 // Process Kernels ground Milling reduces the whole kernels to smaller particles that mix evenly with other dry ingredients.
4. 04 // Output Ground whole barley The resulting grain meal arrives at the kibble plant ready for mixing and cooking.

1. 01

   Supplies usable starch

   Barley starch provides calories. In a dog diet comparison, the barley food's carbohydrate fraction was digestible, though less completely than the rice and corn foods' fractions.^2,6

2. 02

   Helps kibble hold together

   Starch binds and expands during cooking. AAFCO lists barley among plant ingredients that supply calories and help dry kibble keep its shape.^2,10

3. 03

   Adds some grain fiber

   Whole grain milling retains the bran. Barley also contains beta glucans, but the ingredient name does not disclose how much reaches the finished food.^7,8

4. 04

   Offers bulk grain supply

   Barley is purchased at large scale for pet food, giving manufacturers a regular grain supply for the starch share of dry recipes.¹¹

How much Dog studies tested diets containing 10, 20, 25 and 40% barley; those experimental levels do not show a typical commercial amount.^1,5

1. Brands say

   Barley gives dogs usable energy

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Barley grain averages about 60% starch on a dry basis. In an 8-dog comparison, the barley food's carbohydrate fraction was 90.10% digestible. That supports an energy role, though the tested food digested less completely than rice or corn foods.^2,6

2. Critics say

   Barley diets digest less completely than rice diets

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Two finished-food comparisons point the same way. A 30-dog trial measured dry matter digestibility of 83.85% for a barley food versus 86.10% for a rice food, and an 8-dog comparison placed a barley food below rice too, but both tested specific recipes, not barley in isolation, so the result cannot be generalized to every barley diet.^1,2

3. Brands say

   Barley keeps blood sugar steady

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 15-dog diabetic trial favored a pea-and-barley food over maize, but it could not isolate barley. In a separate 16-dog trial that varied barley itself, postmeal glucose did not improve. The ingredient alone has no demonstrated glucose benefit.^3,5

4. Brands say

   Barley beta glucan lowers cholesterol in dogs

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 12-dog diabetic trial found lower cholesterol with a pea-and-barley food than with maize. It did not isolate barley or measure dietary beta glucan. A separate 16-dog barley trial found no cholesterol improvement, so this specific claim is unsupported.^4,5

5. Critics say

   Barley is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Barley supplies starch and fiber, and AAFCO identifies a structural job for it in kibble. In an 8-dog comparison, the barley food's carbohydrate fraction was 90.10% digestible. Calling an ingredient with these jobs filler obscures what it contributes.^2,6,10