Bioactive components and antioxidant capacity of Ontario hard and soft wheat varieties

Abstract

Ragaee, S., Guzar, I., Abdel-Aal, E-S. M. and Seetharaman, K. 2012. Bioactive components and antioxidant capacity of Ontario hard and soft wheat varieties. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 19–30. Consumer awareness of food and health through improved diet has promoted research on the bioactive components of agricultural products. wholegrain wheat and products rich in wheat bran were found to inhibit oxidation of biologically important molecules such as DNA, LDL cholesterol and membrane lipids, and are linked with reduced incidence of several diseases. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate selected wheat varieties grown in Ontario based on their contents of bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties to identify potential candidates for the functional foods industry. The 21 wheat varieties obtained from different locations in Ontario varied significantly in soluble and bound phenolic acids, ranging between 114 to 155 and 805 to 1068 µg g−1, respectively. Dietary fiber fractions had narrow ranges being 2.8–4.0% for soluble dietary fiber and 10.1–13.0% for insoluble dietary fiber. Antioxidant capacity measured as DPPH radical inhibition ranged between 5.7–14.9% and 74.1–87.1% for soluble and bound phenolic compounds, respectively. The results demonstrate that certain wholegrain wheat varieties would be excellent sources of bioactive components.