Carotenoids and tocols of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum L.)

The nutritional properties of einkorn and its potential as a donor of useful traits to cultivated wheat prompted the survey of carotenoid and tocol content of 54 accessions of einkorn originating from different eco-geog. areas, by HPLC anal. Eight Triticum turgidum and seven Triticum aestivum cultivars were analyzed in parallel. Carotenoids, mostly lutein, averaged 8.41 mg/g dm, 2-4 times more than non-einkorn wheats, with a max. of 13.4 mg/g dm. Several accessions showed significant amts. of carotenes (above 25% of total carotenoids), sometimes together with high lutein contents. Tocols averaged 77.96 mg/g dm, significantly exceeding the non-einkorn wheats, with a max. of 115.85 mg/g dm. The most abundant tocol was b -tocotrienol (48.22 mg/g dm), followed by a -tocotrienol (12.77 mg/g dm), a -tocopherol (12.18 mg/g dm) and b -tocopherol (4.79 mg/g dm); the mean tocotrienol/tocopherol ratio was 3.68. Einkorns from different geog. areas had diverse av. total carotenoid and tocol values; two geog. gradients were obsd., possibly reflecting the original routes of spread of einkorn into Europe from the Middle East. [on SciFinder (R)]