Wheat and barley have a large variation of DE content in Western Canada. This is caused by digestibility of energy changes. Cereal grains’ main source of energy is starch, though the content differs among different samples. Fibre has the largest impact on changes in energy digestibility. Starch degradation may be related to fibre content in cereal samples. In vitro starch digestibility and content were measured in three barley and three wheat samples with different fibre contents. Fibre content was negatively related to DE content while starch content had positive relations. For all samples, starch was rapidly-degradable indicated by in vitro starch digestibility, so practical diet formulations do not need to include rate of starch digestion.
Starch Content and in Vitro Digestibility of Barley and Wheat Samples Differing in Fibre Content (full article)
