Lipids and minerals in spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) and common wheat (T. aestivum ssp. vulgare) : chemical and nutritional distinction between both cereals

Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare) are closely related cereals that share their breadmaking character and the same ploidy level. Despite these similarities, both cereals are morphologically different, in particular, spelt kernels are hulled and wheat's are free-threshing, allowing their distinction before milling. Moreover, spelt is regarded as bringing a higher health benefit than wheat since Saint Hildegarde's treaty of medicine (12th century). However, health claims attributed to spelt are not substantiated by scientific evidence, as described in the literature review of this study. Adulteration of spelt products is another issue related to this cereal. Indeed, spelt's low yield, together with losses due to dehulling, partly account for its products being more expensive and prone to adulteration. Authentication of spelt is therefore compulsory. The above observations were the starting point of this research project, which aimed at two major objectives: first, to elucidate the basis of spelt's so-called nutritional benefit; second, to propose chemical tools in an attempt to authenticate spelt flours. Preliminary infrared spectroscopy results revealed that the study of lipids would be worthwhile. Therefore, lipid content and fatty acid profile of spelt and wheat wholemeal were determined. Spelt differs from wheat by a higher free lipid, total lipid and unsaturated fatty acid contents and spelt's higher oleate/palmitate ratio allows a classification of both cereals in two distinct, non-overlapping groups. In addition, the oleate/palmitate ratio may bring a substantial contribution in the setting of authentication procedures. In contrast, phytosterol analysis does not show any qualitative or quantitative difference between both cereals, thus supporting the fact that sterols are not implicated in spelt's nutritional benefit and that they cannot contribute to authenticate spelt products. Regarding minerals, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mg contents are higher in spelt than wheat. Although P content is also higher in spelt, phytic acid level is lower after 4-week storage. This may be due to a more intense endogenous phytase activity in spelt, in parallel with a possibly higher lipase activity, already suggested by infrared spectroscopy measurements. When these observations on lipids, minerals, and proteins (spelt has a higher protein content than wheat, but a similar gluten quality) are put together, they suggest that aleurone layer is a specific source of these nutrients in spelt. Such a view is also supported by the fact that tocopherol (a marker of germ) level is similar in spelt and wheat. In conclusion, this research indicates that spelt nutritional benefit over wheat could be related to minerals and, to a lesser extent, to unsaturated fatty acids. According to our results, the structure and/or metabolism of spelt's aleurone layer could be a major differentiating factor between spelt and wheat. On this basis, new chemical tools are proposed to distinguish both cereals after milling.Doctorat en sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique (AGRO 3)--UCL, 200

The ratio oleate/palmitate allows the distinction between spelt (Triticum spelta L.) and winter wheat (T. aestivum L.) wholemeal

n/

Spelt (Triticum spelta L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) wholemeals have similar sterol profiles, as determined by quantitative liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis.

From a nutritional point of view, cereal lipids include valuable molecules, such as essential fatty acids, phytosterols, and fat-soluble vitamins. Spelt (Triticum spelta L.) is an alternative hulled bread cereal mostly grown in Belgium, where it is mainly intended for animal feed but should increasingly be used for human consumption. The present research focused on phytosterol quantification by LC/APCI-MS2 in saponified wholemeal extracts of 16 dehulled spelt and 5 winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties grown in Belgium during 2001-2002 at the same location. Glycosylated sterols and free and formerly esterified sterols could be determined in saponified extracts. Results show that the mean phytosterol content is comparable in both cereals (whereas other lipids, such as oleic and linoleic acids, are increased in spelt wholemeal): spelt extract has, on average, 527.7 microg of free and esterified sterols g(-1) of wholemeal and 123.8 microg of glycosylated sterols g(-1) of wholemeal versus 528.5 and 112.6 microg x g(-1) in winter wheat (values not corrected for recoveries). This is the first report on the application and validation of an LC/MS2 method for the quantification of phytosterols in spelt and winter wheat

Comparison of glycemic index of spelt and wheat bread in human volunteers

The assessment of the glycemic index (GI) seems to be an important parameter to take into account in order to better understand the physiologic effects of foods with high carbohydrate levels. Among cereals, which are major sources of carbohydrates, spelt (Triticum spelta L.) has been considered as particularly interesting from a nutritional point of view. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo the GI of white spelt bread in healthy subjects. The wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) white bread was used as reference food. To avoid differences in the production of both breads, spelt and wheat breads were baked under the same controlled conditions. Results showed that the glycemic profile of spelt white bread was not different from that of wheat white bread (GI of 93 9). The area under the glycemic curve significantly and negatively correlated to fasting glycemia and carbohydrate intake during evening meals preceding the test. In conclusion, the glycemic response to spelt bread was similar to that of wheat bread. However, in order to avoid more inter-individual variability, our data supports the importance to propose standardised carbohydrate content for the last meat before evaluating the GI of food. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) as a source of breadmaking flours and bran naturally enriched in oleic acid and minerals but not phytic acid.

The nutritional value of breadmaking cereal spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) is said to be higher than that of common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare), but this traditional view is not substantiated by scientific evidence. In an attempt to clarify this issue, wholemeal and milling fractions (sieved flour, fine bran, and coarse bran) from nine dehulled spelt and five soft winter wheat samples were compared with regard to their lipid, fatty acid, and mineral contents. In addition, tocopherol (a biochemical marker of germ) was measured in all wholemeals, whereas phytic acid and phosphorus levels were determined in fine bran and coarse bran samples after 1 month of storage. Results showed that, on average, spelt wholemeals and milling fractions were higher in lipids and unsaturated fatty acids as compared to wheat, whereas tocopherol content was lower in spelt, suggesting that the higher lipid content of spelt may not be related to a higher germ proportion. Although milling fractionation produced similar proportions of flour and brans in spelt and wheat, it was found that ash, copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus contents were higher in spelt samples, especially in aleurone-rich fine bran and in coarse bran. Even though phosphorus content was higher in spelt than in wheat brans, phytic acid content showed the opposite trend and was 40% lower in spelt versus wheat fine bran, which may suggest that spelt has either a higher endogenous phytase activity or a lower phytic acid content than wheat. The results of this study give important indications on the real nutritional value of spelt compared to wheat. Moreover, they show that the Ca/Fe ratio, combined with that of oleate/palmitate, provides a highly discriminating tool to authenticate spelt from wheat flours and to face the growing issue of spelt flour adulteration. Finally, they suggest that aleurone differences, the nature of which still needs to be investigated, may account for the differential nutrient composition of spelt and wheat