Profiles of vitamin B and E in wheat grass and grain of einkorn (Triticum monococcum spp. monococcum), emmer (Triticum dicoccum ssp. dicoccum Schrank.), durum (Triticum durum Desf.), and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis

Wheat is a basic, valuable, economic, and industrial crop for human and animal nutrition in all of the world. This study aims to evaluate and compare of vitamin B [thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (B5), and folic acid (B9)] and vitamin E [alpha-tocopherol (a-TP), beta-tocopherol (fi-TP), alpha-tocotrienol (a-TT), and betatocotrienol (fi-TT)] contents in wheat grass and grain of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum spp. monococcum; AA; 2n = 14) cultivar (IZA), emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum ssp. dicoccum Schrank.; AABB; 2n = 28) population, durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf. (AABB; 2n = 28) cultivar (Kunduru-1149), and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; AABBDD; 2n = 42) cultivar (K?ra?-66). The amount of vitamin B and E in 14 days old wheat grass and grain of four different wheat species were determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The highest amount of vitamin B1 was obtained from wheat grass (1.108 ?g/g dw) and grain (1.118 ?g/g dw) of einkorn. The highest amount of B2 was determined in wheat grasses of einkorn (4.442 ?g/g dw) and emmer (4.478 ?g/g dw). The highest amount of B5 was found in wheat grass of einkorn (4.178 ?g/g dw) and grain of bread wheat (10.294 ?g/ g dw). When we compared wheat grass extracts as vitamin E content, the highest amount of a-TP, fi-TP, a-TT, and fi-TT were found in einkorn (0.728 ?g/g dw), emmer (0.009 ?g/g dw), einkorn (0.006 ?g/g dw), and emmer (0.009 ?g/g dw), respectively. Morever, when we compared grains the highest amount of a-TP (16.460 ?g/g dw), fi-TP (1.018 ?g/g dw), and fi-TT (63.800 ?g/g dw) were found in bread wheat, the highest amount of a-TT (12.670 ?g/g dw) was found in einkorn. In conclusion, wheat grass of eirkorn contains higher amounts of B1, B2, and B5 than modern wheat species such as durum and bread wheat. At the same time, wheat grass of einkorn contains higher amount of total vitamin E content than emmer, durum, and bread wheat grass. Among the wheat species, the E vitamin isomers were higher in bread wheat grains, except for the a-TT (in einkorn). Wheat grass of einkorn (IZA), an ancestral cultivar type of wheat is richer and more valuable than durum and bread wheat grass in human health and nutrition.

Automated summary

This study evaluated and compared the content of vitamin B and E in wheat grass and grain of four different wheat species. The results showed that einkorn wheat grass contains higher amounts of B1, B2, and B5, and also higher total vitamin E content compared to modern wheat species.