| Abstract: | Flavanol and total phenol contents have been determined in samples of barley grown in Britain under a wide range of environmental conditions. An assessment has also been made of the genetic variation in flavanol and total phenol contents among exotic genotypes and current UK varieties. Total phenol content decreased in the first 3 months immediately after harvest but no indication was observed that prolonged storage significantly reduced the levels of flavanols and, after the initial decline, no systematic decreases were found in total phenol content. Significant differences were found between trial sites for both constituents but these could not be related to geographical locations. An examination of inter-varietal variation revealed significant differences among both the current UK varieties (flavanols 0.11–0.17%, total phenols 0.43–0.53%) and 85 diverse genotypes (flavanols 0.08–0.15%, total phenols 0.37–0.54%). The levels of both constituents appeared to be independent of grain size, malting quality, oil content and protein content and no significant differences were found between either two and six-rowed varieties or husked and naked grain types. |
