Measurement of (1 → 3),(1 → 4)‐β‐D‐glucan in barley and oats: A streamlined enzymic procedure

Abstract A commercially available enzymic method for the quantitative measurement of (1 → 3),(1 → 4)‐β‐glucan has been simplified to allow analysis of up to 10 grain samples in 70 min or of 100–200 samples by a single operator in a day. These improvements have been achieved with no loss in accuracy or precision and with an increase in reliability. The glucose oxidase/peroxidase reagent has been significantly improved to ensure colour stability for periods of up to 1 h after development. Some problems experienced with the original method have been addressed and resolved, and further experiments to demonstrate the quantitative nature of the assay have been designed and performed.