Pearled Barley

Pearled barley is a product of grain milling, not a leftover from brewing. Millers remove the hull and polish away outer bran to make a quicker cooking grain. Pet food makers may use the kernels ground.^4,5,8

1. 01 // Source Barley kernels Harvested barley arrives at the mill as hulled grain or a variety that sheds its hull.
2. 02 // Process Hull removed Milling removes the tough hull before the kernel is polished.
3. 03 // Process Bran polished Abrasion takes off some or all of the outer bran, leaving a kernel that cooks faster.
4. 04 // Output Pearled barley Polished kernels leave the mill whole or ground into a meal for pet food.

1. 01

   Supplies kibble starch

   Dogs digest cooked starch for energy. In manufacturing, starch also helps the kibble expand and bind together.^2,4

2. 02

   Adds some fiber

   Pearling removes outer bran, but fiber remains within the kernel. It contributes fiber to the recipe, though starch is the larger share.^4,8

3. 03

   Provides grain at scale

   Barley is grown widely and milled for food and feed. That supply gives manufacturers a dry grain ingredient for the energy portion of a recipe.⁵

How much A dog trial fed a diet containing 25% barley, but the paper did not identify the barley as pearled.¹

1. Brands say

   Pearled barley adds starch for energy

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Measured pearled samples contained 72.3 to 73.1% starch on a dry basis. An 8-dog trial found a barley diet digestible, but did not identify its barley as pearled. The energy claim rests chiefly on the measured starch.^2,4

2. Brands say

   Pearled barley keeps blood sugar steadier

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 15-dog diabetes trial found lower average glucose on a peas-and-barley diet than on a differently processed maize diet. It cannot separate barley from peas or processing, and did not identify pearled barley. No pearled-barley blood sugar benefit was shown.³

3. Brands say

   Its beta-glucan improves dogs' gut health

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Pearling leaves some beta-glucan, and tested pearled samples contained 4.5 to 4.8% soluble fiber. Those were lab measurements, not a dog health trial. Barley feeding studies did not isolate pearled barley's beta-glucan or show improved gut health.^1,4,8

4. Critics say

   Pearled barley is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   The tested pearled samples contained substantial starch and dietary fiber. In a 30-dog trial, a barley diet supplied digestible nutrients and left stool consistency unchanged compared with rice. That trial did not specify pearled barley, but filler ignores the grain's jobs.^1,4

5. Brands say

   Pearled barley counts as a whole grain

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Pearling polishes away some or all of the outer bran. A composition study tested 1 whole pearled and 1 ground pearled sample and distinguished pearled barley from whole grain barley. Fiber remaining inside the kernel does not restore the removed bran.⁴