Also known as malt, germinated barley is the end product that comes from the fermentation and drying of barley, an annual cereal plant that grows worldwide. Germinated barley is made by soaking barley corn in water at a properly maintained temperature and humidity, then taking the sprouts out after they reach a length of approximately .5 centimeters. At that point, they are dried. The sprouts can either be used raw, or after being parched.
Based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, germinated barley has been ascribed sweet and neutral properties, and is associated with the Spleen, Stomach and Liver meridians. Its main functions are to eliminate retention of food and harmonize the stomach, to restrain lactation in women, and to promote the flow of liver qi.
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Basic Instruction
How to Use Germinated Barley(mai ya) and its extracts?
This herb is the dried germinatedripe caryopsis of Hordeum vulgare L.(family Gramineae). The herb is produced in every part of China. It is used un-prepared or stir-baked.
What is germinated barley? What is it used for?
Also known as malt, germinated barley is the end product that comes from the fermentation and drying of barley, an annual cereal plant that grows worldwide. Germinated barley is made by soaking barley corn in water at a properly maintained temperature and humidity, then taking the sprouts out after they reach a length of approximately .5 centimeters. At that point, they are dried. The sprouts can either be used raw, or after being parched.
Based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, germinated barley has been ascribed sweet and neutral properties, and is associated with the Spleen, Stomach and Liver meridians. Its main functions are to eliminate retention of food and harmonize the stomach, to restrain lactation in women, and to promote the flow of liver qi.
Germinated barley contains digestive enzymes and vitamin B, which can assist in digestion. It is used to treat stagnant liver and stomach qi conditions such as distention, fullness in the chest, and epigastric pain. In women, it helps to stop lactation and ease the pain associated with distended breasts. It also helps to promote one's appetite. In addition, barley can be applied to the skin to treat burns and wounds.
The germinated barley is now called "malt", since the starch has been converted to maltose sugar.
Malt (or germinated barley) is the indispensable ingredient in beer. Because it determines the taste of the beer, it must be of a superior quality. So, Stella Artois' master brewers select only the best barley from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, England and Denmark.
Once the barley is chosen, it is allowed to germinate slowly, at an ideal combination of low temperature, darkness and controlled humidity. Machinery turns the barley three times a day, letting it breathe and ensuring the sprouts don't tangle. After less than a week, the process is halted and the green malt is laid out to dry on a device that allows hot air to pass through it. The drying temperature determines the taste and color of the beer. The higher the temperature, the darker the beer. The malt for a Pilsner is dried at 80¡ãC.
Germinated Barley is the dried germinated ripe fruit of Hordeum vulgare L. (Fam.Gramineae).
Origin of Germinated Barley:
The processed product resulting from the fermentation and drying of the ripe grain of the genus Hordeum vulgare L. (barley), an annual cereal plant, of the grass family Gramineae.
Barley cultivation probably originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and in Southeast Asia in prehistorical times. It is believed to extend back to 5000 BC in Egypt, 3500 BC in Mesopotamia, 3000 BC in northwestern Europe, and 2000 BC in China. Barley was the chief bread plant of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans and of much of Europe through the 16th century.
Barley is adaptable to a greater range of climate than any other cereal, with varieties suited to temperate, sub-Arctic, or subtropical areas. Although it does best in growing seasons of at least 90 days, it is able to grow and ripen in a shorter time than any other cereal. Cultivation is possible even in very short seasons such as those of the Himalayan slopes, although the yield there is smaller than in less harsh areas.
Barley, with greater resistance to dry heat than other small grains, thrives in the near-desert areas of North Africa, where it is mainly sown in the autumn. Spring-sown crops are especially successful in the cooler, moist areas of western Europe and North America.
The annual world harvest of barley in the late 1970s was approximately 180,000,000 metric tons from about 246,000,000 acres. About half of the world's crop is used as livestock feed, the rest for human food and for malting. Most beer is made from malted barley, more than 10 percent of the world's crop being used for this purpose; malted barley is also used in the production of distilled beverages.
Barley has a soft straw, used mostly as bedding for livestock and as a feed providing bulk roughage.
Germinated barley is derived by soaking the barley corn in water at a properly maintained temperature and humidity, then taking the sprouts out when they grow to a length of about 0.5 cm and drying them for use when raw or after being parched.
Germinated barley is produced everywhere in China.
Germinated Barley Seven Day Growth Sequence:
Phytochemicals and Constituents:
Wheat germ: Wheat germ contains a fair amount of polyunsaturated fat, deriving 25% of its calories from fat. Wheat germ is a good source of thiamin, riblflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin E, folate, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. One-quarter cup supplies 8 grams of protein and almost 4 grams of dietary fiber. Defatted wheat germ is available, but it's lower in vitamin E (vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamine); unlike regular wheat germ, it does not need to be stored in the refrigerator.
Main content: hordenine.C10H15NO,0.13~0.25%; hordatine A,C28H38N8O4; hordatine B, C29H40N8O5; alpha-amylase; alpha-amylase.
Properties,Effects,Indications and Applications all for Germinated Barley:
Properties: The herb is sweet in flavour, neutral in nature, and it acts on the spleen, stomach and liver channels. Being sweet for tonifying the spleen and nourishing the stomach, it can regulate Qi, alleviate depression, relieve food stagnation. It is particularly good at eliminating undigested flour food. The herb is often used to treat deficiency of the spleen, anorexia, food retention, indigestion and other syndromes. A large dose of barley is lactifugal.
Action: Unprocessed Fructus Hordei Geraminatus: To invigorate the functionof the spleen, to regulate the function of the stomach,and to promote the flow of milk. Fructus Horidei Germinatus (stir-fried): To promote digestion,and to check the secretion of milk.
Functions: Promotes digestion, strengthens the stomach, stops milk secretion and relieves flatulence.
To stimulate digestion and remove the retention of undigested food.
Unprocessed Fructus Hordei Germinatus : Anorexia due to diminished function of the spleen; galactostasis.
Indigestion; weaning a baby.
Retention of undigested food with epigastric distension and pain.
Indications:
1. The herb is often used in combination with medicated leaven, hawthorn fruit, areca seed and other herbs for relieving food stagnation, to treat food retention, anorexia, distention and fullness in the stomach and abdomen and indigestion, and with white atractylodes rhizome amomum fruit, chicken's gizzard-skin and other drugs for supplementing Qi, strengthening the spleen, promoting digestion and inducing appetite, to treat deficiency of the spleen and anorexia.
2. To cease lactation and to relieve distending pain due to milk accumulation, a large dose of the herb can be decocted for use.
Used for:
1.For anorexia, feeling of fullness in the stomach and abdominal distension due to food retention and indigestion, it is often used in combination with hawthorn fruit and medicated leaven.
2. For stopping milk secretion, orgalactostasis and distending pain in the breasts, equal amount of unprepared and stir-baked germinated barley are decoct-ed together in water for an oral dose. In addition, this herb also has theeffect of soothing depressed liver,so it can be used as a subsidiary herb for treating syndrome of stagnation of the liver-qi.
Applications:
1. To treat syndromes of retention of rice, wheat, potato, taro or other food:
a) Syndromes of retention of rice, wheat, potato, taro or other food:
This herb can be used together with hawthorn, medicated leaven, chicken gizzard membrane, etc.
b) Infantile indigestion:
It is effective when decocted alone or ground into powder for oral administration.
c) Poor appetite due to deficiency of the spleen and abdominal distention after eating:
This herb can be used together with largehead atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), dried tangerine peel, etc.
2. To treat distending pain in the breasts due to cessation of milk secretion:
This herb is effective when 120 g. raw or parched malt (or 60 g. each of raw and parched malt) is decocted alone.
3. To treat hypochondriac pain, abdominal pain, etc., due to stagnation of liver-qi or incoordination between the liver and the stomach:
It can be used together with other liver-soothing and qi-regulating herbs.
Reference Materials:
'Other Medical Records of Famous Physicians' :
"Promoting digestion and normalizing the functioning of the spleen and stomach."
'The Compendium of Materia Medica' :
"Promoting the digestion of all kinds of stagnated rice, wheat, fruits and other food."
Modern Researches:
This herb contains amylase, glycosyl-transferase, proteolytic enzymes, vitamin B, maltose, glucose, calcium, phospholipids and trace amounts of hordenine.
The digestive enzyme and vitamin B contained in barley can assist in digestion. Its decoction can promote the secretion of gastric juice and pepsase. The amylase contained in barley cannot withstand high heat, and the efficacy of malt decoction is equivalent to only one-third of that of the powder. About half of its potency will be lost after it is parched.
The ergot compounds contained in the raw malt can inhibit the secretion of prolactin. The oral administration of malt extract can reduce blood sugar.
Barley is also used as a poultice for burns and wounds.
Barley the plant has a folk history of anti-tumour activity.
Suggestions and Administrations:
How much germinated barley should I take?
Dosage:for checking the secretion of milk
Dosage and Administration: 10-12g.or 30-120g in a large dose.
Dosage and administration: 10- 15g,decocted in water for an oral dose. 60-120g for stopping milk secretion; for improving digestion, the stir-baked isbetter, while for other purposes, theunprepared is used.
The typical dose of germinated barley is between 10 and 15 grams, decocted in water for oral use. Raw barley is used to promote digestion, while parched barley is employed primarily to stop milk secretion and treat flatulence.
Precautions:
It should not be prescribed for breast-feeding women.
Decoct for oral administration:
Raw barley is mostly used to promote digestion and strengthen the stomach, and parched barley is used primarily to stop milk secretion and relieve flatulence.
Cautions on Use: This herb should be avoided by women during lactation.
What forms of germinated barley are available?
Whole, dried germinated barley is available at many herbal shops and specialty markets.
What can happen if I take too much germinated barley? Are there any interactions I should be aware of? What precautions should I take?
Because germinated barley stops lactation, it should not be used by women who are breastfeeding. In addition, chemicals in germinated barley can promote contractions in women during childbirth, so it should not be taken by women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. As always, make sure to consult with a licensed health care provider before taking germinated barley or any other herbal remedy or dietary supplement.
Germinated barley:Beer process:
1 Germinated barley is dried with hot air producing malt. This malt is then put into the malt grinder, in a process called malt milling, to reduce it to a fine powder (grist).
2 The powdered malt is then heated in a cooking tun rendering it into a sugary brewing liquid (wort).
3 This wort is then transferred to the filter tun where the wort and any spent malt grains are then separated
4 The wort is once again returned to the cooking tun where it is boiled. Hops are added at this time in order to give the beer its distinctive aroma and bitter taste.
5 The wort is then cooled until a suitable temperature for fermentation is reached. When the wort is transferred to the fermentation tanks aroma yeast is then added.
6 The time from first to second fermentation is about two weeks. During this time the yeast converts the wort's sugar content into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.
7 After the second fermentation the "green" beer is filtered removing the carbon dioxide gas. The gas is then infused back into the beer and the beer is allowed to mature for a number of days. This process adds to the beers distinctive aroma and taste.
Modern Research Update:
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Arabinoxylan Metabolism in Germinated Barley
Introduction:
Following water uptake and germination of a barley grain, hydrolytic enzymes that are mainly secreted from the scutellar epithelial layer and the aleurone layer, catalyse the depolymerization of starch and protein reserves in the starchy endosperm. Degradation products are subsequently absorbed by the scutellum and translocated to the developing seedling. During commercial malting operations, barley grain is steeped in water and germinated under conditions designed to maximise the modification of the starchy endosperm, but to minimise vegetative growth of the young seedling (Bamforth and Barclay, 1993; Briggs et al., 1981). In both processes enzymic degradation of cell walls in the starchy endosperm is crucial. Because most of the key enzymes are secreted from the aleurone layers, the walls of starchy endosperm cells represent a physical barrier which denies the enzymes free access to their substrates within starchy endosperm cells. As a result, the rapid early removal of the cell wall is of central importance both for the successful germination of the grain (Fincher, 1989) and for the production of a well-modified malt (Bamforth and Barclay, 1993).
The major constituents of walls in the starchy endosperm of barley are the (1->3,1->4)-beta-glucans and the arabinoxylans (Fincher, 1975; Ballance and Manners, 1978). The (1->3,1->4)-beta-glucans are the most abundant components in the wall, and a good deal of attention has been focussed on their chemical structures, solution properties and enzymic depolymerization (Woodward and Fincher, 1983; Fincher and Stone, 1993). Similarly, the chemical structures and solution properties of cereal arabinoxylans have been described in detail (Perlin, 1951; Andrewartha et al., 1979; Voragen et al., 1987; Vi?tor et al., 1994), but there is less information on the enzymes that catalyse their hydrolysis in germinated barley grain.
Both the (1->3,1->4)-beta-glucans and the arabinoxylans can be extracted from walls with hot water and both form solutions of high viscosity. The latter property can be attributed to the asymmetrical molecular conformation of both polysaccharides. If cell walls are not adequately degraded during malting, malt extracts can contain high levels of the polysaccharides and attendant difficulties associated with the filtration of viscous extracts can significantly slow the brewing process (Bamforth, 1985).
These problems have usually been related to undegraded (1->3,1->4)-beta-glucan, because this is the most abundant polysaccharide in the walls. However, arabinoxylans constitute about 25% of starchy endosperm walls (Fincher, 1975) and about 70% of aleurone walls (Bacic and Stone, 1981). The enzymes that degrade arabinoxylans are often produced late in the germination process (Banik et al., 1997), and high levels of this polysaccharide can survive through the brewing process into the final beer (Coote and Kirsop, 1976; Vi?tor et al., 1993). The contribution of arabinoxylans to the undesirable effects normally ascribed to (1->3,1->4)-beta-glucans has often been underestimated, or completely overlooked.
In the work described here, enzymes that participate in arabinoxylan hydrolysis have been purified from extracts of germinated barley and characterized. Corresponding cDNAs have been isolated and sequenced, and will enable the expression patterns of key genes to be monitored during endosperm modification.
Materials and Methods:
Enzyme Purification:Barley grain (Hordeum vulgare cv. Clipper) was surface-sterilized (Hoy et al., 1980), steeped for 24h in water containing a cocktail of antibiotics, and germinated at approximately 40% (v/v) moisture content in the dark at 22?C for 5 days (Hrmova and Fincher, 1993). No bacterial or fungal growth could be detected during this period. The germinated grain was homogenised at 4 Deg C in 100 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0, containing 10 mM EDTA, 4 mM sodium azide, 3 mM 2-mercaptethanol and 3 mM PMSF. After 45 min insoluble material was removed by centrifugation and the enzymes were purified by fractional precipitation with ammonium sulphate, ion exchange chromatography, chromatofocussing and gel filtration chromatography, using protocols described by Hrmova et al. (1996).
Enzyme Assays:Activity in column fractions and in purified enzyme preparations was measured using 0.04% (w/v) 4-nitrophenyl alpha-L-arabinofuranoside (4NPA) or 4-nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranoside (4NPX) in 50 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0 at 37 Deg C. The reactions were stopped with 2 vol. saturated Na2B4O7 (Biely et al., 1980) and absorbance measured at 410 nm. Activity against wheat flour arabinoxylan was measured reductometrically (Banik et al., 1997). Products released from the substrates were identified by thin layer chromatography on Kieselgel 60 plates developed in 3:2:1 (v/v) ethyl acetate:acetic acid:water (Hrmova and Fincher, 1993).
Isolation of cDNA Clones:The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of purified enzymes or of tryptic peptides derived from purified enzymes were determined in a Hewlett-Packard (G1005A protein sequencer. Oligonucleotide primers were designed on the basis of amino acid sequences and used in RT-PCR reactions to generate cDNA probes (Burton et al., 1999) from RNA preparations from 4 day-old barley seedlings. The PCR products were sequenced (Sanger et al., 1977) and used as probes to screen cDNA libraries produced from poly(A)+- RNA from young barley seedlings (Hrmova et al., 1996).
Results:
Enzyme Purification
Two alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases, designated isoenzymes ARA I and ARA II, were purified from extracts of young barley seedlings. In addition, a beta-xylosidase (designated XYL) was purified and characterized. Although the enzyme preparations were highly purified, some cross-reactivity between substrates was observed. Thus, the alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases exhibited some activity against 4NPX and the ¦Â-xylosidase had low levels of activity against 4NPA. Some properties of the enzymes are compared in Table 1.
Neither the arabinofuranosidases nor the xylosidase were capable of rapidly removing arabinose or xylose from wheat flour arabinoxylan. However, another enzyme which had minimal activity on 4NPA was found to remove arabinose units from the arabinoxylan substrate at a rate approximately 500 times that observed for the arabinofuranosidase isoenzyme ARA II. This enzyme has been designated arabinoxylan arabinofuranohydrolase, but it has not yet been purified to homogeneity or subjected to detailed analysis.
Table 1. Properties of Arabinofuranosidases and Xylosidases from Germinated Barley.
Enzyme
Molecular Weight
(Da)
Isoelectric Point
Specific Activity on 4NPA (mU/mg)
Specific Activity on 4NPX(mU/mg)
ARA I
N.D.a
5.3
N.D.
N.D
ARA II
70,000
5.5
12,300
2,500
XYL
70,000
6.7
320
10,500
Figure 1. Arabinoxylan structural model with proposed sites of action of major arabinoxylan hydrolysing enzymes and sequential stages of complete depolymerisation. The (1->4)- linked xylan backbone () is shown with arabinofuranosyl residues linked via C(O)2 (), C(O)3 () and C(O)2,3 ( ). The non - reducing end of arabinoxylan and both reducing and non- reducing ends of oligosaccharides, generated by partial enzymic degradation, are indicated. Solid arrows indicate bonds susceptible to enzymic hydrolysis and broken arrows indicate bonds that may be hydrolysed after prior removal of other arabinofuranosyl and/or xylopyranosyl residues.
Isolation of cDNA Clones:
Using oligonucleotide primers based on amino acid sequences from tryptic peptides, a PCR product of approximately 500 bp was amplified. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the PCR product corresponded to arabinofuranosidase isoenzyme ARA II. The PCR product was used to screen cDNA libraries and to design primers for additional RT-PCR amplifications. At this stage a 2304 bp cDNA encoding barley arabinofuranosidase isoenzyme ARA II has been sequenced. The cDNA has an open reading frame equivalent to 664 amino acids, a 312 bp 3' untranslated region and a polyadenylic acid tail of 16 residues. Preliminary Northern blot analyses indicate that the mRNA encoding the enzyme is about 2800 nucleotides, and the cDNA is therefore about 500 bp short of full-length at its 5' end. The coding region of the cDNA is characterized by a distinct bias in codon usage; most codons end in G or C. Similar biases in codon usage have been observed in many genes encoding barley enzymes that participate in endosperm mobilization
Discussion:
Two alfa-L-arabinofuranosidases and a beta-D-xylosidase have been identified in extracts of germinated barley grain. The original objective of the work was to investigate the role of those enzymes in arabinoxylan hydrolysis during cell wall degradation in germinated grain. The structural features of the polysaccharide, together with the expected sites of hydrolysis by the ¦Á-L-arabinofuranosidases and the ¦Â-D-xylosidase, are shown in Figure 1.
Although each of the enzymes was active on the synthetic aryl-glycoside substrates 4NPA and 4NPX, their activity on polymeric arabinoxylan was very low and it would seem unlikely that they play a major role in the removal of arabinosyl or xylosyl residues from polymeric arabinoxylan. However, it remains possible that both classes of enzyme are required for the hydrolysis of low molecular weight arabinoxylosides released from the polysaccharide by (1¡ú4)-beta-xylan endohydrolase activity (Figure 1). To demonstrate such a function convincingly, high level activity against well-defined oligosaccharide substrates would need to be demonstrated.
In addition to the alfa-L-arabinofuranosidases and the beta-D-xylosidase studied here, a small amount of a different, previously unknown enzyme with a much greater capacity to remove arabinofuranosyl residues from polymeric arabinoxylan was detected in the grain extract. This enzyme will now be purified for detailed analysis of its substrate specificity and action pattern. It may be concluded at this stage that there is likely to be a group of enzymes involved in the removal of arabinosyl residues from polymeric and oligomeric substrates, and that the group might be larger than was first envisaged. Thus, different enzymes might be required to remove arabinose units from C(O)2 and C(O)3 atoms of xylosyl residues in the backbone, and another might be required for doubly substituted xylosyl residues (Figure 1). Furthermore, different groups of enzymes might be required for the hydrolysis of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides.
Finally, the work here has resulted in the isolation of a near full-length cDNA encoding alfa-L-arabinofuranosidase isoenzyme ARA II. This can now be used as a probe to define not only the number of genes encoding alfa-L-arabinofuranosidases, but also the positions of the genes on the barley genome. The cDNAs will also be used in Northern hybridization analyses to monitor expression patterns of the genes in various tissues during normal growth and development of barley.
Scientific References:
1.How to Use Germinated Barley(mai ya) and its extracts?
Claims & Warning:
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
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seminal trace...Germinated Barley.Fructus Hordei Germinatus.10:1Extract...
Basic Botanical Info:
What is germinated barley? What is it used for?
Scientific References:
Claims & Warning:
