Source: Australian Food News

Story By: Matt Paish

The breed of barley developed by one of Australia’s leading science research bodies, the CSIRO, has now reached national distribution status in Australia’s leading supermarkets three years after being introduced as a breakfast cereal ingredient.

The BARLEYmax™ ingredient is said to help control diabetes, improve digestion, reduce weight and lower cholesterol. It is a natural wholegrain with enhanced nutritional benefits, containing twice the dietary fibre of regular grains and four times the resistant starch of normal barley. It also has a low glycemic index.

After conducting a series of extensive studies, CSIRO researchers found that a number of foods made using BARLEYmax™ as a key ingredient also produced other positive changes in markers for bowel health. Given these results, the CSIRO decided to breed new BARLEYmax varieties to create products for customer markets.

Victorian food manufacturer Popina Food Services became the first company in Australia to include BARLEYmax™ in its products when it launched a range of cereals and porridge containing BARLEYmax™ in late 2009, under the brand name Goodness Superfoods. Three years on, BARLEYmax™ is now contained in eight breakfast cereals on sale in Australia.

To read the full story, follow this link: www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2011/11/21/australian-barley-fibre-innovation-expands-across-breakfast-cereal-aisles.html