Whole Barley

Barley is grown for food, brewing and animal feed. Whole barley uses the grain itself, rather than a brewing leftover. Hulless varieties shed their loose covering at harvest; covered varieties need their tough hull removed while keeping the bran.^4,5,8

1. 01 // Source Barley grain Mature kernels are harvested from covered or hulless barley varieties and dried for storage.
2. 02 // Process Hull separated A hulless variety sheds its loose hull at harvest; a covered variety needs careful dehulling.
3. 03 // Output Whole barley The grain retains its bran, germ and starchy center and may be ground for kibble production.

1. 01

   Supplies starch and structure

   Barley brings calories from starch. Like other plant starch sources, it also helps kibble hold together as the recipe is processed.^5,7

2. 02

   Adds grain fiber

   Keeping the grain's bran retains fiber, including beta-glucan. The amount differs by variety, and dog feeding experiments have not shown a dependable stool benefit from barley.^1,3,5

3. 03

   Uses a feed crop

   Barley is already grown and traded widely for livestock feed. Manufacturers can draw on that supply rather than commission a specialty ingredient.⁴

4. 04

   Offers another grain option

   A dog food comparison replaced rice with barley at the same inclusion level. Stool consistency held steady, though the barley food's dry matter digestibility was lower.¹

How much One dog comparison fed 25% barley; a separate experiment tested diets containing up to 40%. Neither figure describes a typical recipe.^1,3

1. Brands say

   Whole barley gives dogs usable energy

   Evidence

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

   In a 30-dog comparison, food containing 25% barley had 83.85% dry matter digestibility and produced stools of comparable consistency to the rice food. Barley supplies usable starch, though the whole diet determines digestibility.^1,5

2. Brands say

   Barley keeps a dog's blood sugar steady

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   A 15-dog diabetic crossover, partly company-funded, fed peas and barley together against maize. Glucose ran lower and swung less, but dogs spent 24.0% of monitored time below 90 mg/dL versus 4.2% on maize. A 16-dog barley test found no glycemic benefit.^2,3

3. Brands say

   Barley beta-glucan lowers dogs' cholesterol

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   Selected barley varieties contain 3.58% to 9.02% beta-glucan on a dry basis. Yet a controlled experiment feeding barley at up to 40% to 16 dogs found no improvement in plasma cholesterol. Fiber content does not prove the claim.^3,5

4. Critics say

   Whole barley is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   A 25% barley food was digestible in a 30-dog comparison and left stool consistency unchanged. Barley supplies starch and fiber. Its presence alone says little about whether the complete food is well formulated.^1,5