Is Tritordeum (×Tritordeum martinii A. Pujadas, nothosp. nov.) grain a potentially useful source of essential minerals in the human diet?

Abstract

Tritordeum grain is known for its high content of protein, carotenoids and polyphenols, but its mineral composition has not been analyzed to date. The experimental material comprised 11 breeding lines of Tritordeum, two reference cultivars of durum wheat, and one hulless barley cultivar. The thousand kernel weight (TKW) of the studied Tritordeum lines was 23% lower than in durum wheat and more than 18% lower than in barley. Tritordeum grain contained around 24% more ash than durum wheat. During the entire two-year study, the concentrations of the 31 analyzed elements were similar to those reported in various small grain cereals in the literature. Tritordeum grain was characterized by a very high content of potassium and magnesium which was more than 16% and 6% higher, respectively, than in durum wheat, and 27% and 17% higher, respectively, than in hulless barley. In comparison with the reference durum wheat and barley cultivars, Tritordeum was also more abundant in copper (by 24% and 62%, respectively), zinc (by 11% and 17%, respectively) and cobalt (by 24% and more than 314%, respectively. The limits for the lead and cadmium content of grain were not exceeded.