What is the Difference Between Wheat Barley and Oats

The key difference between wheat barley and oats is that wheat is a major source of carbohydrates while barley is a major source of dietary fiber, and oats are a good source of high-quality proteins.

Cereal is a type of grass cultivated for edible components of its grain. Cereal grain crops grow in large amounts, and they provide high energy than any other food. Unprocessed whole grain cereals are rich sources of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. During processing, bran and germ are removed, leaving the endosperm, which mainly consists of carbohydrates. Wheat, barley, and oats are three main types of cereals that are considered as staple crops.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Wheat 
3. What is Barley 
4. What is Oats
5. Similarities – Wheat Barley and Oats
6. Wheat vs Barley vs Oats in Tabular Form
7. Summary – Wheat vs Barley vs Oats

What is Wheat?

Wheat is a cereal grass cultivated for its grain as a worldwide staple food. It belongs to the genus Triticum. Wheat is an important source of carbohydrates. However, wheat is a source of multiple nutrients and dietary fibre. There are various types of wheat. The most important and common wheat is Triticum aestivum, and it is used to make bread. Durum wheat is used to make pasta, spaghetti, and macaroni. Club wheat is a softer wheat used to make cookies, cakes, pastries, and types of flour. Several other types of wheat are used in the production of starch, malt, dextrose, gluten, alcohol, and paste.

The nutritional composition of wheat differs with climate and soil. A kernel usually contains 70% carbohydrates, 12% water, 12% protein, 2% fat, 1.8% minerals, and 2.2% other crude fibres. The milling process of wheat usually removes most nutrients along with bran and germ. Wheat used in the food industry requires processing. The majority of milled wheat grain is recovered as white flour. Flour made from the whole wheat kernel is known as graham flour. Wheat is usually grown in dry climates and consists of about 11-15% protein and high gluten. It produces a type of hard flour that is suitable for breadmaking. Wheat is also grown in humid areas with a protein content of 8-10% with weak gluten. These produce softer flour.

What is Barley?

Barley is a cereal plant of the grass family with an edible grain. It belongs to the family Poaceae. The scientific name for barley is Hordeum vulgare. Barley is an annual grass with erect stems and alternate leaves. Barley is mostly used in bread, soups, health products, source of malt for alcoholic beverages such as beer and animal feed. Barley comes in two varieties, and they differ by the number of rows of flowers on the flower spike. Six-row barley has spikes on opposite sides, and they develop into the kernel. Two-row barley has central florets that are sterile. Two-row barley has a high sugar content and is used for malt production. Six-row barley has a high protein content and is used for animal feed. Barley consists of a nut-like flower and is rich in carbohydrates. It also has moderate amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorous, and B vitamins.

There are several types of barley, and they are hulled barley, hulless barley, barley grits, barley flakes, pearl barley, and quick pearl barley. Hulled barley is processed minimally to remove only the tough outer hull that is inedible. Hulless barley has an outer hull loosely attached to the kernel that falls off during harvesting. Barley grits form when barley kernels are cut into pieces. Barley flakes are steamed, rolled, and dried kernels. Pearl barley is barley that is polished to remove the outer bran layer along with the hull. Quick pearl barley is partially cooked.

What are Oats?

Oats are a type of cereal grains that are edible seeds of oat grass. Oats belong to the family of grass called Poaceae. The scientific name for oats is Avena sativa. Oats have high nutritional value and many health benefits. Oats are a rich source of soluble and insoluble fibres, phosphorous, thiamine, zinc, and magnesium.

Oats are available in various forms based on how they are processed. The order of oats from least to most processing is oat groats, steel cut, Scottish oats, rolled oats, and quick or instant oats. Oat groats are whole oat kernels that are cleaned loosely by removing only the inedible hull. Oat groats contain intact germ, endosperm, and bran. Steel-cut oats are oat kernels that are cut into two or three small pieces using a steel blade. Scottish oats are oat kernels that are stone ground. They give a porridge-like texture when cooked. Rolled oats are kernels that are steamed, rolled, flattened into flakes, and dried to remove the moisture. Quick or instant oats are kernels that are steamed for a longer time and rolled into thinner pieces to absorb water easily and cook faster. Least processed oats have a lower glycaemic index; therefore, it takes a longer time to digest. The main type of soluble fibre in oats is beta-glucan. This helps slow digestion and suppression of appetite. Beta-glucan binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids in the intestines and transports them through the digestive tract and out of the body. Oats also contain phenolic compounds and antioxidants. These help to reduce chronic inflammation damages associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

What are the Similarities Between Wheat Barley and Oats?

• Wheat, barley, and oats are cereal grains.
• They belong to the grass family.
• Moreover, they are edible grains.
• They produce flour.
• They are rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals.

What is the Difference Between Wheat Barley and Oats?

Wheat is a major source of carbohydrates, while barley is a major source of dietary fiber, and oats are a good source of high-quality proteins. Thus, this is the key difference between wheat barley and oats. Wheat is typically grown in cooler seasons and harvested at the beginning of winter. Barley is grown in warm seasons and harvested in spring, while oats are planted in late summer or early autumn and harvested when they start to flower when the soil temperature is around 12° C.

The below infographic presents the differences between wheat barley and oats in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Wheat vs Barley vs Oats

Wheat, barley, and oats are cereal grass cultivated for edible components of their grain. All three types have a higher content of carbohydrates. Wheat is considered a major source of carbohydrates, while barley is a major source of dietary fiber, and oats are a good source of high-quality proteins. Wheat belongs to the genus Triticum and has three types: common wheat, durum wheat, and club wheat. Barley belongs to the genus Hordeum. There are six types of barley: hulled barley, hulless barley, barley grits, barley flakes, pearl barley, and quick pearl barley. Oats belong to the genus Avena and are of five types, and they are of oat groats, steel cut, Scottish oats, rolled oats, and quick or instant oats. So, this summarizes the difference between wheat barley and oats.

Reference:

1. “Barley.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc..
2. “Oats.” The Nutrition Source.
3. “Wheat.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Oats, grains, plants, field” (CC0) via Pixahive
2. “Grains of barley” (CC0) via Pixino
3. “Wheat close-up” By User:Bluemoose – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia