Barley and its products are good sources of antioxidants. This experiment was conducted to exa
minethe classification and concentration of phenolic compounds, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins in127 lines of colored barley. Their relationship with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicalscavenging activity was also exa
mined. Barley was placed into seven groups using the colorimeter:hulled (black 1, black 2, black 3, and purple) and unhulled (black, blue, and purple). The contents ofphenolic compounds and anthocyanins were analyzed by using HPLC. The average content ofphenolic compounds in unhulled barley groups (268.6
g/g) was higher than that in hulled (207.0
g/g) (
P > 0.05). The proanthocyanidins content was deter
mined by modified van
illin assay. Theaverage content of proanthocyanidins was significantly higher in purple and blue barley groupscompared with black (
P < 0.05). The content of anthocyanins varied from 13.0 to 1037.8
g/g. Purpleand blue barley groups contained higher average contents of anthocyanins than black (
P < 0.05).The most common anthocyanin in the purple barley groups was cyanidin 3-glucoside, whereasdelphinidin 3-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin in the blue and black groups. In coloredbarley, DPPH radical scavenging activity had high positive correlation to the content of phenoliccompounds and proanthocyanidins.