Phenolic composition and antioxidant potential in Turkish einkorn, emmer, durum, and bread wheat grain and grass

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Wheat has been a primary food source in human and animal nutrition in many parts of the world since ancient times. The objective of the present study was to evaluate phenolic acid composition (p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, trans-ferulic acid, and sinapic acid) and antioxidant potentials (total phenol and flavonoid contents, and free radical scavenging activity) in both grain and grass of einkorn (Triticum monococcum spp. monococcum; Cv. IZA), emmer (T. dicoccum ssp. dicoccum Schrank.) population, durum (T. durum Desf.; Cv. Kunduru-1149), and bread wheat (T. aestivum L.; Cv. Kıraç-66). The amount of phenolic acids in grain and two weeks old grass obtained from 4 different wheat species was detected by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The p-coumaric acid was the most abundant compouns in all tested grasses, while trans-ferulic acid were the most abundant compounds in all tested grains. It was determined that einkorn (IZA) had the highest amount of p-coumaric acid (1.360 µg/g dw) and trans-ferulic acid (0.490 µg/g dw) among the grasses, while the highest p-coumaric acid (0.770 µg/g dw) and trans-ferulic acid (3.400 µg/g dw) were found in bread wheat (Kıraç-66) among the grains. The highest total phenolic content was obtained from grain (90.12 mg/g dw) and grass (99.24 mg/g dw) of durum wheat (Kunduru -1149). The the highest total flavonoid content was found in both grain (141.58 mg/g dw) and grass (179.50 mg/g dw) of einkorn (IZA). Grains of emmer (2.68 µg/mL) and grasses of einkorn wheat (2.98 µg/mL) had the strongest antioxidant activity with the lowest IC50 (concentration inhibiting 50% of DPPH) values. Einkorn, an ancestral wheat species with 14 chromosomes, has higher phenolic molecules, total flavonoid content and antioxidant potential than modern wheat species such as durum wheat with 28 chromosomes and bread wheat with 42 chromosomes. Wheatgrass of IZA (einkorn) is thought to have the potential as a functional food/beverage in the future with its higher amounts of phenolic molecules and strong natural immune booster antioxidant activity.