Abstract
Droughts and high temperatures are the main abiotic constraints hampering durum wheat production. This study investigated the accumulation of phenolic acids (PAs) in the wholemeal flour of six durum wheat cultivars under drought and heat stress. Phenolic acids were extracted from wholemeals and analysed through HPLC-DAD analysis. Ferulic acid was the most represented PA, varying from 390.1 to 785.6 µg/g dry matter across all cultivars and growth conditions, followed by sinapic acids, p-coumaric, vanillic, syringic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids. Among the cultivars, Cirno had the highest PAs content, especially under severe drought conditions. Heat stress enhanced the accumulation of minor individual PAs, whereas severe drought increased ferulic acid and total PAs. Broad-sense heritability was low (0.23) for p-coumaric acid but ≥0.69 for all other components. Positive correlations occurred between PA content and grain morphology and between test weight and grain yield. Durum wheat genotypes with good yields and high accumulation of PAs across different growing conditions could be significant for durum wheat resilience and health-promoting value.
Highlights
Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (Desf.) Husnot) is one of the most common cereal crops in Mediterranean climates and the tenth most cultivated species in the world
Six durum cultivars out the foremost durum varieties developed at CIMMYT were evaluated for grain yield, general grain traits and the content and composition of phenolic acids in wholemeal flour under six growth conditions across two years
Cirno was the cultivar with the highest content of major phenolic acids and, so far it had the highest content of total phenolic acids (TPAs)
Summary
Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (Desf.) Husnot) is one of the most common cereal crops in Mediterranean climates and the tenth most cultivated species in the world. Durum (Desf.) Husnot) is one of the most common cereal crops in Mediterranean climates and the tenth most cultivated species in the world. Despite accounting for only 5% of global wheat production, this wheat species is a key commodity for many areas worldwide, especially for the countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin, North America, the desert area of the southwestern United States, North Mexico, and sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Durum-based foods have a large diversification across the producing countries. While pasta is the most popular product worldwide and a symbol of the Italian cousin, couscous is the most common durum-based food in North Africa, and durum wheat breads are traditionally important in Southern Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Mid-East Mediterranean regions. The above products provide a significant slice of calories and proteins to human diets; they are an important source of bioactive components contributing to a healthy diet [2,3]
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