Nutritional and technological quality of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum), an ancient wheat with a future

Einkorn was domesticated about 10000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. From its home in Central Turkey it spread all over Europe, where it became a staple food of agricultural populations. From the Bronze Age, the free-threshing and better yielding durum and bread wheats drastically limited its importance: nowadays, einkorn is cropped in restricted areas of the mediterranean region. A renewed interest for this ancient cereal was recently spurred by favourable reports on its good nutritional characteristics and its excellent adaptation to low-impact management. Aim of our research was therefore to evaluate the potential of einkorn for human consumption and food manufacturing through the analysis of the chemical composition and technological properties of whole meal flour from >50 einkorn accessions. Several Triticum turgidum and Triticum aestivum cultivars were also assessed as references. Significant differences from the controls and a broad variation for all the traits analysed were detected. On average, the einkorns contain high protein (18.2±1.48%) content. Carotenoids, mostly lutein, average 8.4±1.39 mg/g. Several accessions show significant amounts of carotenes (above 25% of total carotenoids), sometimes together with high lutein contents. Tocols average 78.1±9.19 mg/g; the most abundant tocol was -tocotrienol (48.1 mg/g, dm). Among the 14 fatty acids detected, linoleic (50.8% of total fatty acids), oleic (24.8) and palmitic (16.6) are the most abundant. Interestingly, lipoxygenase activity is very low, thus foreseeing a better preservation of carotenoids and tocols during food manufacturing. Among other compounds with positive effects on health, fructan content is about 2 g/kg, total starch 65.5±2.56 g/100 g and total amylose represents 25.7±1.23% of total starch. Among technological characteristics, the SDS sedimentation volume is low (25.6±8.7 ml), but a few accessions with good values are recorded. The pasting parameters studied were peak viscosity (2426 cP±202.9), breakdown (765 ±109.1 cP), final viscosity (2788±268.2 cP) and setback (1126±139.6 cP).