Barley, the fourth most important cereal worldwide, is widely used as a raw material for brewing and distilling, animal feed, and human consumption. Increasingly, consumer choices are influenced by concerns about the nutritional value and safety of food. Coloured barley, known for its health-promoting properties, contains phytochemicals with strong antioxidant activities and lipid peroxidation inhibition. The coloration of barley is attributed to the accumulation of compounds such as polyphenols, anthocyanins, and carotenoids in the outer layer of the barley kernel. Consequently, coloured barley shows great promise for the development of future healthy foods.
In this study, we employed proteomics analysis to investigate blue (Memento, Quantom, ICARDA16), purple (Sumire), and black (Jet) barley varieties. The primary objective was to apply mass spectrometry proteomics to identify bioactive peptides derived from these samples and explore the interaction among key proteins responsible for the observed color variations. After applying data-dependent acquisition (DDA) methods, we identified proteins in each variety and utilized an in-house bioactive peptide database which was developed by the proteomics group at ECU. We successfully identified color-specific bioactive peptides. Notably, we discovered antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial bioactive peptides in the black barley variety (Jet), and antihypertensive bioactive peptides in the blue-colored variety. The findings of this research enhance our understanding of the beneficial bioactive peptides that can be extracted from coloured barley, thereby contributing to future applications in the development of functional foods.