Innovative barley-based fuctional foods (INNOBAR)

The INNOBAR project will aim at obtaining new barley varieties with naked and colored grain adapted to Spanish growing conditions, with high content of soluble fiber (beta-glucans) and phenolic compounds with high antioxidant capacity. New genotypes of naked grain, segregating for beta-glucan content and resistant starch will also be evaluated. Barley selected for their high content in bioactive compounds will be processed to obtain various food products that can be consumed regularly in a standard diet. To provide evidence on the beneficial effects of the consumption of our barley grains, studies in animal and human models will be performed. Therefore, the ultimate challenge of our proposal is to implement a real nexus between agriculture, food technology, nutrition and health throughout the entire agrifood chain of new barley genotypes rich in bioactive components for human consumption.