Lignans in triticale grain and triticale products

Abstract

This study determined the lignan content of seven varieties of triticale grain and compared these values with wheat and rye grain, with triticale milling fractions (bran, shorts, and refined flour), and triticale products (sprouted grain, malt, fermented bread dough, baked dough, dried pasta and cooked pasta). Acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis were used to release the lignans in extracts. We carried out qualitative and quantitative analysis of secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, lariciresinol, syringaresinol, and pinoresinol levels using an Acquity UPLC liquid chromatograph with photodiode and mass Acquity TQD detectors. The most abundant lignan in all samples was syringaresinol, which made up 80% of all lignans. The lignan content of triticale grain varied from 392 to 792 μg·100gd·m−1 (acid hydrolysis) and from 685 to 1189 μg·100gd·m−1(enzymatic hydrolysis), depending on the variety. The lignan levels in triticale bran were almost three times those found in the grain; in flour, there was one fifth or even one tenth as much, whereas the shorts had similar levels as the grain. After three days of germination, the amount of lignans in the triticale grain increased by 17%–32%. A greater increase in lignan content (by factors of 1.4 and 2.3) was found in triticale after extrusion cooking. Fermentation led to lignan concentrations increasing slightly (2–14%), but this was then reduced in the baking process. Extracts from dry pasta contained similar or lower amounts than did the raw material, but the concentration was higher in cooked pasta (14%–47%). The enzymatic hydrolyzed extracts contained on average 36% higher lignan content than did the acid hydrolyzed samples.