Omics data reveals the phenolic fingerprint of Brazilian whole wheat flours of different technological qualities

• Published in: Journal of food science and technology 2023-02, Vol.60 (2), p.783-796
• Main Authors: da Silva Lima, Luciana Ribeiro, Barros Santos, Millena Cristina, dos Santos D′Almeida, Carolina Thomaz, Cameron, Luiz Claudio, Gutkoski, Luiz Carlos, Ferreira, Mariana Simões Larraz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Bakery products; Bioactive compounds; Chemical composition; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Colorimetry; Discriminant analysis; Ferulic acid; Flavonoids; Flour; Food; Food Science; Genotypes; Grain; High performance liquid chromatography; Hydroxycinnamic acid; Laboratories; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolomics; Multivariate analysis; Nutrient content; Nutrition; Original; Original Article; Phenolic acids; Phenols; Phytochemicals; Polyphenols; Proteins; Scientific imaging; Spectrophotometry; Statistical analysis; Triticum aestivum; Variance analysis; Wheat
• ISSN: 0022-1155; 0975-8402
• DOI: 10.1007/s13197-023-05665-8

Common wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) is one of the most consumed staple foods used for bakery products. Outer layers of grain present a great diversity of bioactive compounds, especially phenolic compounds (PC). Free and bound PC were extracted from eight genotypes of whole wheat flours (WWF) presenting different technological classifications. These extracts were comprehensively characterized through untargeted metabolomics applying ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS E ) and spectrophotometric analyses. Chemical composition and colorimetry were also determined by classical analyses. Thirty-eight PC were tentatively identified by UHPLC-MS E belonging to three classes (phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other polyphenols), some of them identified in all WWF samples. Bound hydroxycinnamic acids were the main PC found in WWF, especially the trans -ferulic acid and its isomer. No difference was found in starch and protein contents, whereas low-quality flours showed a higher ash content than the superior and medium-quality flours. Total phenolic content (TPC) ranged between 124.5 and 171.4 mg GAE/100 g WWF, which bound PC were responsible for 60% of TPC. Omics data and multivariate statistical analyses were successfully applied to discern the phenolic profile of WWF from different genotypes and technological qualities.