a b s t r a c tThe health-promoting properties of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have been largely attributed to the presence of unique phytochemicals of whole grains. The aim of this study was to profile the phenolic content of 16 old and 6 modern Italian wheat varieties, cropped in the same location and growing season. High variability was observed among the investigated wheat genotypes, both in the free and bound phenolic extracts. The total polyphenol content ranged from 885.5 to 1715.9 mol GAE/100 g of grain and, on average, the bound fraction contributed for 72.0% to the total phenolic content. As regards the flavonoid content, the free fraction ranged from 50.7 to 106.1 mol CE/100 g of grain and the bound fraction from 78.3 to 148.9 mol CE/100 g of grain. Moreover, the interpretation of the mass spectra allowed the characterization of 34 phenolic compounds (104 including isomer forms) belonging to the phenolic acid, flavonoid, coumarin, stilbene, proanthocyanidin and lignan chemical classes. HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS analysis highlighted remarkable differences in the phytochemical fingerprints of old and modern wheat varieties. Six ancient wheat genotypes (Bianco Nostrale, Frassineto, Gentil Rosso, Gentil Rosso Mutico, Marzuolo d'Aqui, Verna) showed phenolic profiles with a number of total compounds and isomer forms much higher than that identified in the modern cultivars. The present findings confirm that ancient wheat may represent a valuable source of biodiversity, especially as regards phenolic compounds. The investigated old wheat genotypes may be successfully used in breeding programs for developing bread wheat varieties with added value in terms of health-promoting phytochemicals.

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Antiradical activity and total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of modern and old varieties of durum (9 varieties) and soft (17 varieties) wheat grains, sampled over two years (summer 2007 and 2008) in the same site, were determined in order to point out differences among varieties and between old and modern varieties. Nine compounds were identified by means of HPLC/MS, and their amount was determined. No correlation was found between antiradical activity and polyphenol or flavonoid contents. The temperature conditions in the 30 days before harvesting were the principal factor which differentiated the quantitative profile of polyphenols and the antiradical activity of the seeds (p < 0.001): high temperatures cause a drop in polyphenol content.

Among cereals, durum wheat has a central role in the Italian diet and economy, where there is a historical tradition of pasta making. In the present study, we evaluated the nutrient and nutraceutical properties of 2 old and 6 modern durum wheat varieties grown under low input agricultural management. Considering the lack of available data on the adaptability of existing durum wheat varieties to the low input and organic sectors, the research aimed at providing a complete description of the investigated genotypes, considering the agronomic performance as well as the nutrient and phytochemical composition. The experimental trials were carried out at the same location (Bologna, Northern Italy) for two consecutive growing seasons

The health-promoting effects of whole-grain consumption have been attributed in part to their unique phytochemical contents and profiles. Wheat is an important component of the human diet; however, little is known about the phytochemical profiles of different wheat varieties, especially of old wheats. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of lignans, a class of phytochemicals with proved health benefit effects, of four modern and six old Italian soft wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. In this work, we describe the first analytical method involving CE coupled to MS (CE-MS) used to identify and quantify lignan compounds in grains of different cultivars of wheat. Total lignan content determined by CE-ESI-MS was 2.60+/-0.21 and 5.00+/-1.30 microg/g dry seed weight for modern and old cultivars, respectively. Secoisolariciresinol and pinoresinol were detected in all ten investigated soft wheat cultivars, whereas arctigenin, hinokinin, and syringaresinol were exclusively detected in old genotypes. Significant differences between modern and old cultivars were also observed for the number of glycosidic forms. Results highlighted the high content and unique composition in lignans of old cultivars suggesting their uses into a wide range of regular and specialty food products naturally enriched with health-promoting compounds.