Liu, N.McKinnon, J.J.Christensen, D.A.Yu, P.2018-07-242018-07-242010-02-24http://hdl.handle.net/10388/9137Barley grains are widely used for malting and feeding purposes in Canada. Although barley varieties have similar chemical composition, they exhibit different rumen degradation characteristics and nutrient availability. The objectives of this study was to determine structural make-up features and identify the structural differences in chemical functional groups in endosperm tissue among the six barley varieties using ultra-spatially resolved synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy (SFTIRM). The results indicated that the barley varieties showed significant differences in terms of peak area intensities and the peak ratios of the amide I (1650 cm-1) and amide II (1550 cm-1), cellulosic compounds (ca. 1240 cm-1), and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC, starch) peak (1025 cm-1). The synchrotron-based FTIR spectroscopic information associated with structural and chemical make-up characteristics of barley grains may provide more information as to why barley varieties exhibit different biodegradation behaviors.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 CanadaPresentation