Preventive effect of germinated barley foodstuff on diarrhea induced by water-soluble dietary fiber in rats.

We investigated the preventive effect of germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) added to the diet on diarrhea induced by the dietary water-soluble dietary fibers, polydextrose, hemicellulose, and poly-acrylic acid sodium salt, in Sprague-Dawley rats. The minimum content of GBF necessary for blocking diarrhea was 3% (by weight) of the diet. Since GBF is mainly derived from the aleurone and scutellum of malted barley, we assessed the physiological effects of the aleurone and scutellum fractions derived from barley grains before and after germination. The addition of fractions containing only germinated barley, and not barley collected before germination, increased the fecal output and jejunal mucosal protein content. The effects of malted barley were very similar to those of GBF. It was concluded that germination was necessary to bring about the physiological effects of GBF. Since non-lignified hemicellulose and Gln-rich protein were newly synthesized during germination, these might have contributed to the increased fecal output and jejunal mucosal protein content.