Nutrient Composition and Content of Antinutritional Factors in Spelt (Triticum spelta L) Cultivars

Abstract

Four grain samples of spelt (Triticum spelta L) cultivars—Bauländer Spelz, Schwabenkorn, Loge and Rouquin—were analysed for concentrations of crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, starch, dietary fibres, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, tocopherols and antinutritional factors. The basic nutrients and dietary fibre content and amino acid composition in the spelt grain was similar to wheat and triticale. The spelt grain contained 4·27 g P kg−1 DM and the levels of some microelements, especially Cu, Mn, Zn and Co were higher than wheat. There was a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in the total fatty acid composition, on an average 21·5% in comparison with 12·1% in wheat and 13·7% in triticale. The vitamin E activity was 33 IU kg−1 of spelt grain. This grain contained lower levels of the alkylresorcinols, tannins and trypsin inhibitor activity than in wheat and triticale. The Bauländer Spelz cultivar contained the highest level of minerals, essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids and the lowest level of antinutritional factors among the all spelt cultivars examined.