Received for review January 15, 2003. Revised manuscript received March 26, 2003. Accepted April 22, 2003. We acknowledge funding from the Nordic Industrial Fund and EU FAIR Project CT95-0894.

Abstract:

The alkylresorcinol (AR) content of 8 commonly consumed cereals, 125 Triticum cultivars, milling fractions of wheat and rye, bread, and other cereal products was analyzed. ARs were found in wheat (489-1429 g/g), rye (720-761 g/g), triticale (439-647 g/g), and barley (42-51 g/g), but not in rice, oats, maize, sorghum, or millet. One durum wheat variety was found to have an exceptionally low level of ARs (54 g/g) compared to other durum wheat varieties (589-751 g/g) and Triticum species analyzed. The AR content of milling fractions closely followed the ash content and could be used as a marker of the presence of bran in flour. Using hot 1-propanol extraction, all ARs could be extracted from bread, contrary to previous studies which suggested that ARs were destroyed during baking. Cereal products varied greatly in AR content, with those containing wheat bran or whole rye having the highest content.

Keywords: Alkylresorcinols; cereals; cereal products; rye; wheat; bran; biomarker; baking

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