Ingredient file // Grain
Whole Grain Hulless Barley
A useful grain for energy, not medicine
Whole grain hulless barley is a barley kernel whose loose husk comes off at harvest, leaving the bran and germ. In kibble, it supplies digestible starch and some fermentable fiber. Dog studies do not support claims that barley improves blood sugar or cholesterol.
- What it is
- A whole barley kernel that sheds its loose husk while keeping its bran, germ and starchy center.
- Made from
- Harvested hulless barley grain
- Main job
- Starch for kibble energy
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Diagnosed barley allergy or contaminated grain
- Not the same as
- Pearled barley
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 1023 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
3 of the 3,068 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 1 brand. All dry dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 2. In the top five of 3 foods, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 3 priced foods, 8% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
100%
of the foods that list it are from Horizon. 1 brand use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Barley is grown for food, feed and brewing. Whole grain hulless barley is harvested for its kernel, not recovered as a processing leftover. Its loose husk separates during threshing, reducing the work needed before milling.8,9,12
- 01 // Source Mature barley Hulless varieties grow kernels with a husk that attaches loosely to the grain beneath it.
- 02 // Process Harvest and thresh Threshing separates the loose husk while the bran, germ and starchy center remain together.
- 03 // Process Clean and mill The kernels are cleaned and may be ground so their starch cooks evenly in the food.
- 04 // Output Whole hulless barley Whole or ground kernels reach the food plant with the bran and germ retained.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
53-65
% starch
Starch made up most of the dry kernel in 4 tested hulless varieties. That makes this grain mainly an energy source.
These ranges cover 4 cultivars, including breeding lines selected for unusual grain traits. Variety changes the starch, protein and beta-glucan shares, so these figures are not a guaranteed analysis of any bag.7
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Supplies cooked starch
Barley starch supplies energy after cooking and digestion. Starch also helps the food bind and expand as pieces are formed.1,2
-
02
Adds fermentable fiber
Barley contains beta-glucan. A dog trial found a change in fecal fermentation markers as barley increased, but measured no gut health benefit.5,6,7
-
03
Uses a widely grown crop
Barley is grown widely for feed and other uses. Hulless varieties shed their husks during threshing, cutting a processing step before the grain is milled.8,9
How much Dog studies tested diets with 25% barley and up to 40% barley; neither identified the barley as hulless or set a usual recipe amount.1,5
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Barley gives dogs usable carbohydrate energy
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A 30-dog comparison fed 25% barley and found 83.85% dry matter digestibility. Another dog study found 90.10% digestibility for the barley diet's nitrogen-free extract. Neither study identified its barley as hulless.1,2
-
Brands say
Its beta-glucan improves gut health
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a 16-dog trial, fecal short-chain fatty acids changed as barley rose from 10% to 40% of the diet. The trial did not isolate beta-glucan or measure a gut health benefit.5,6
-
Brands say
Barley keeps a dog's blood sugar steady
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The 16-dog barley trial found no post-meal glucose effect. Research in diabetic dogs used peas and barley together, so it cannot assign an effect to barley. The claim goes beyond either study.3,5,6
-
Brands say
Barley lowers cholesterol in dogs
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Cholesterol did not change in the 16-dog barley trial. A 12-dog diabetic study found lower cholesterol with a pea-and-barley diet than with corn, but could not separate the ingredients' effects. The manufacturer helped design that study.3,5,6
-
Owners say
Hulless barley is gluten-free
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Hulless describes a loose husk, not the grain's proteins. The Whole Grains Council states that flour ground from hulless barley contains gluten. Removing the husk does not remove it.9,12
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoStarch is its main contribution, and dogs digest barley diets. A 30-dog comparison found the barley food digestible without a change in stool consistency. Judge the recipe's balance, not the grain's name alone.1,7
-
Q02
Is hulless the same as pearled?
NoHulless barley sheds its loose husk at harvest and keeps the bran and germ. Pearling polishes away some or all of the bran. That changes which parts of the grain remain.9,12
-
Q03
Will it make stools loose?
Mixed resultsA trial feeding 25% barley and another feeding up to 40% found no stool change. A separate study adding 40% extruded barley to a corn and wheat diet produced looser stools. Watch your own dog.1,5,6
-
Q04
What does list position tell me?
Its weightIngredients appear in descending order by weight. Barley near the top contributes more to the recipe than barley near the bottom, but the list alone does not show its exact share.11
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Whole Grain Rye 100%
- Quinoa 100%
- Flaxseed 100%
- Carrots 100%
- Oats 67%
- Canola Oil 67%
- Dicalcium Phosphate 67%
- Salmon Meal 33%
- Salmon 33%
- Pork Meal 33%
- Pork 33%
- Apples 33%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
3 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Our read // On the bag
Read it as grain, then judge the recipe
Barley high in the ingredient list supplies a meaningful share of the recipe's starch. Lower down, its contribution is smaller. Check the named protein sources and the food's guaranteed analysis, then watch how your dog handles it. Ignore promises that hulless barley improves blood sugar or cholesterol.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Barley as an alternative to rice in dog food
- 2 Nutritional value of common carbohydrate sources used in pet foods
- 3 Starch sources influence lipidaemia of diabetic dogs
- 4 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 5 FISH OIL AND BARLEY SUPPLEMENTATION IN DIETS FOR ADULT DOGS: EFFECTS ON LIPID AND PROTEIN METABOLISM, NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY, FECAL QUALITY, AND POSTPRANDIAL GLYCEMIA
- 6 Alternative Dietary Fiber Sources in Companion Animal Nutrition
- 7 Barley and oat cultivars with diverse carbohydrate composition alter ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility and fermentation metabolites in weaned piglets
- 8 Barley grain
- 9 Barley breeding program
- 10 Chemical Contaminants
- 11 What’s in the Ingredients List?
- 12 Types of Barley