| abstract |
Cereal grains are ground, slurried in water below the starch gelatinization temperature. Bran, starch granules and protein are removed. beta -Glucan is precipitated and dehydrated with alcohol, screened and ground to become a white-colored product with a neutral flavor. The method recovers from 33 to 75 percent of the total natural occurring beta -glucan in cereal grains. The beta -glucan product is water soluble with purity ranging from 60-90 percent and exhibiting molecular weight of beta -glucan ranging from 4x105 daltons to 2x106 daltons. |