Abstract
The health-related importance of dietary fibre, as part of a balanced diet, has been recognised for decades. More recently, soluble fibre such as (1 
3, 1 4)-β-D-glucan (referred to as b-glucan), has been shown to have effects on the glycaemic, insulin, and cholesterol responses to foods. Cereals (such as barley and oats) are good sources for these functional ingredients, with studies clearly demonstrating their potential nutritional benefits. At the same time research has indicated that the efficacy of b-glucans may be related to extraction procedures, and factors such as dose, molecular weight and fine structure, and rheological characteristics of extracted and native b-glucans. Concurrently, research has focussed on the inclusion of b-glucans into both cereal and dairy-based food systems, illustrating their potential as ingredients to manipulate food structure and texture. Thus, b-glucans (from barley, oat, and other cereals) should be regarded as important functional ingredients for the cereal foods industry
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Occurrence of β-glucans in barley and oat grain
3. Characteristics of cereal (1 3, 14)-β-D-glucans
4. Extraction procedures
5. The role of β-glucans as components of dietary fibre
6. Physiological effects of β-glucan enrichment in cereal food
7. Potential use of β-glucans in cereal food products
8. Hypocholesterolemic properties of β-glucans
9. Potential use of β-glucans in dairy food products
10. Effect of processing on nutritional and rheological characteristics of β-glucans
11. Conclusions