Radiation-induced lipid peroxidation in whole grain of rye, wheat and rice: Effects on linoleic and linolenic acid

Abstract

Changes in the fatty acid composition in lipids after γ-irradation of whole grain of wheat, rye and rice were examined. The radiosensitivity of linoleic acid (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3) was studied up to a dose of 63 kGy in seeds with different water content and after a post-irradiation storage time of 2 months. At doses in the range recommended for grain desinfestation, i.e. 0.1-1.0 kGy, no detectable degradation of 18:2 and 18:3 was found, but at the highest dose applied, 63 kGy, a degradation in the range from a few percent up to 40% was observed. Under extreme conditions, i.e. pre- and post-irradation treatment with oxygen, or when the flour prepared from the seeds was mixed with water and heated before the extraction of the lipids, a more pronounced degradation of the unsaturated fatty acids was noticed. Lipid peroxidation induced by γ-irradation was estimated using the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. High yields of the TBA-reactive material were formed in the three types of grain investigated corresponding to G-values in the range of 12–18. The influence on peroxidation yields of the water content of the seeds was studied in wheat. The origin of the TBA-reactive material formed in the seeds is not yet known, but could only to a minor extent be due to fatty acid peroxidation.