Abstract
This study investigated the impact of organically grown cereals on the level of free asparagine (Asn) with simultaneous consideration of grain yields and flour qualities over three growing seasons in Germany. Additionally, the relation of free Asn and acrylamide (AA) was investigated. By including free Asn results of a second trial site, heritability of the trait free Asn was calculated. Free Asn was significantly influenced by species and within species by cultivars. Rye showed the highest free Asn amount, followed by einkorn, emmer, wheat, and spelt. Replacing rye with spelt would reduce free Asn by 85%. Cultivars differed in free Asn by up to 67% (wheat), 55% (spelt), and 33% (rye). Year significantly influenced free Asn levels. Heritability was high for wheat and spelt concerning locations, but regarding years, heritability was low for wheat but high for spelt and rye. For organically grown cereals, the relation between free Asn and AA formation has never been investigated. Across species and years, a correlation of R2 = 0.69 *** was found. Thus, free Asn can serve as an indicator for AA formation. In conclusion, the level of free Asn can be highly influenced by proper selection of species and cultivars.
Highlights
As a consequence of the carcinogenic potential of acrylamide [1] formed by heating carbohydrate-rich food materials such as cereals [2,3], the European Commission in 2017 has announced a regulation aiming to reduce the level of acrylamide (AA) in food products like cereals and potatoes [4]
The major objectives were to investigate (i) if cereal species winter wheat, winter spelt, winter rye, einkorn, and emmer differ in their potential to accumulate free Asn in their flours, (ii) if Asn levels are affected by cultivar and year in the context of gained yields and qualities, (iii) to what extent the genotype contributes to the Asn accumulation in flours
This study aimed to evaluate the free Asn levels in flours of winter wheat, winter spelt, winter rye, winter einkorn, and winter emmer grown under organic farming practices
Summary
As a consequence of the carcinogenic potential of acrylamide [1] formed by heating carbohydrate-rich food materials such as cereals [2,3], the European Commission in 2017 has announced a regulation aiming to reduce the level of acrylamide (AA) in food products like cereals and potatoes [4]. As free Asn is formed during crop growth, agronomic measures could reduce the amount of free Asn already in the raw material This is the favourable way of the food industry as no technological approach has to be applied or adjusted. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the levels of free Asn in flours of different winter wheat, winter spelt, winter rye, einkorn, and emmer cultivars fully grown under organic farming conditions, over 3-years in Southwestern Germany. The major objectives were to investigate (i) if cereal species winter wheat, winter spelt, winter rye, einkorn, and emmer differ in their potential to accumulate free Asn in their flours, (ii) if Asn levels are affected by cultivar (cv) and year in the context of gained yields and qualities, (iii) to what extent the genotype contributes to the Asn accumulation in flours
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