Abstract
Whole grain cereals contain a wide range of phytochemicals and it is often difficult to ascribe protective effects on metabolic health to any one particular constituent. The interactions among bioactive components, which contribute highly to the total antioxidant capacity of cereals, represent the first step in the evaluation of food potential health benefits. This research focused on the determination of antioxidant properties in grains and whole flours of some traditional Italian wheats. Results showed that hydrolysable polyphenols in grains are 85% of total polyphenols and contribute 95% of the total antioxidant properties, which indicates that hydrolysable polyphenols represent an important fraction of polyphenols in cereals. The distinction between extractable and non-extractable antioxidants was shown to be of paramount importance for an adequate determination of antioxidant capacity in cereals and represents a key element in the definition of potential nutritional value of the food matrix under consideration.
Highlights
In the last decades, several investigations have underlined the inverse association between whole grain consumption and risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer [1,2,3,4,5].Wholegrain cereals contain, a high amount of bioactive components represented by insoluble and soluble fiber, vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, tocotrienols, tocopherols, lignans, phenols, etc. [6]
Evaluation of the relative content of bioactive compounds and assessment of interactions between these molecules and other food matrix nutrients represent the main step in total antioxidant capacity determination, and in evaluation of potential health benefits
Ruscia 1 is a mixture of one durum wheat (Ruscia) and two cultivars of soft wheat, which grow wild in this area
Summary
Several investigations have underlined the inverse association between whole grain consumption and risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer [1,2,3,4,5]. Extraction is quite a key issue, as it is typically undertaken through different procedures and so far some authors [8,9] reported the use of different solvents, i.e., ethanol, methanol and acetone and/or mixtures thereof. It emerged, that an acid mixture of methanol/water affords the highest level of antioxidant compounds extraction capacity [10]. Non-extractable antioxidants represent an important fraction, as demonstrated by several investigations that found in grains more antioxidant compounds than previously thought, due to the relatively high amount of bound compounds [13,14]. Some technological and chemical parameters were considered besides the characterization of antioxidant properties
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