Abstract:In order to explore the mechanism of the nutrient changes of highland barley during germination，during the same germinative condition，Zangqing 2000，Longzi black barley and Dongqing 18 were used as raw materials to determine the protein，starch，fat，dietary fiber，γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA），β-glucan，and total flavonoids content during germination，to study the effect of germination time on the nutritive value of highland barley.The results showed that during the germination process，protein，starch，fat and β-glucan all decreased during the early germination period，but the change was gentle and the trend was increasing at the later stage.Meanwhile，the content of dietary fiber，total flavonoids and GABA increased，especially during the germination medium-term，the increase in GABA was significant.Under the same culture conditions，there were no significant differences in nutrient content among different highland barley cultivars.However，compared with the other two types，the germination Longzi black highland barley had a slight advantage in GABA，β-glucan and total flavonoids.In conclusion，the nutritional value was improved in highland barley during germination，but germination may restrict the utilization of β-glucan functional properties.