Barley crops planted by Orkney’s Vikings ‘the healthiest in UK’

SCOTTISH researchers are embarking on a ground-breaking study to test the theory that ancient varieties of oats and barley, still being grown in the Northern Isles, have more nutritional value than commercial crops on the British mainland.

The health benefits of cereals, which are natural sources of essential vitamins and minerals, have been recognised for centuries but nutrition experts at Aberdeen University are hoping to determine whether oats and barley grown in Orkney will prove more beneficial to human health than crops grown elsewhere in the UK.

They plan to test the theory that colder temperatures boost the level of cholesterol–lowering lipids which play a crucial role in preventing heart disease.

Dr Karen Scott, from the university’s Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health who is leading the study, said: “We know whole grains like oats and barley are good for our health and both contain a carbohydrate called beta-glucan which has been shown to lower cholesterol.

“What our study is investigating is whether certain growing environments optimise the nutritional benefits found in these crops, and if specific varieties are even better for us than others.”

Researchers will be growing the same commercially available species of oats and barley in Orkney, Dundee and Aberystwyth in Wales and analysing the results. But, as part of the study, they will also be examining the health benefits of ancient crops of the cereals, first introduced by the Vikings and now found growing only on the Orkney Islands.

Dr Scott said: “We believe that the colder temperatures experienced in more northerly parts of the UK may enhance the nutritional values in oats and barley. The reasoning behind this is linked to molecules called lipids, which these crops contain more of than other cereals.

“These molecules become saturated or unsaturated during the growth cycle depending on the conditions in which the crops are grown.”

Work done in Finland more than 30 years ago showed that the further north crops were grown, the greater the lipid content in the grains. More unsaturated lipids are formed when colder temperatures prevail.

Dr Scott explained: “Unsaturated lipids in our food is better for health as, when ingested, they lower levels of the bad cholesterol in our bodies.”

The research will also focus on ancient crops grown in Orkney. Dr Scott said: “We will looking at old ‘land race’ varieties of oats and barley, the types of crops that would have traditionally been grown hundreds of years ago.

“The Agronomy Institute in Orkney is a partner in the study and they have an interest in these old varieties and ensuring they don’t die out. One of the barley varieties that we are using is bere barley which has been grown on Orkney for centuries and they use it in making biscuits and bannocks and they always have.

“The beta glucan content in the barley that is grown widely is quite low compared to what we think these older varieties will have.”