Phenolic Content and Phenolic Acid Composition of Einkorn and Emmer Ancient Wheat Cultivars—Investigation of the Effects of Various Factors

Gyöngyi Györéné Kis (), Szilvia Bencze, Péter Mikó, Magdaléna Lacko-Bartošová, Nuri Nurlaila Setiawan, Andrea Lugasi and Dóra Drexler
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Gyöngyi Györéné Kis: ÖMKi, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 1038 Budapest, Hungary
Szilvia Bencze: ÖMKi, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 1038 Budapest, Hungary
Péter Mikó: HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, 2462 Martonvásár, Hungary
Magdaléna Lacko-Bartošová: Institute of Agronomic Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Nuri Nurlaila Setiawan: ÖMKi, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 1038 Budapest, Hungary
Andrea Lugasi: Faculty of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism, Budapest University of Economics and Business, 1054 Budapest, Hungary
Dóra Drexler: ÖMKi, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 1038 Budapest, Hungary

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-26

Abstract: Interest in ancient wheat species is growing because of their unique agronomic and nutritional qualities, and they could be potential sources of antioxidants. The aim of this research was to determine the total, bound, and free phenolic content (TP, FP, BP), the bound and free phenolic acid (BPA, FPA) content, and the phenolic acid (PA) composition of einkorn and emmer cultivars sourced from a two-year pesticide-free organic variety trial. TPs, FPs, and BPs were analyzed using spectrophotometry, and PAs were determined using HPLC/MS/MS. The results showed that highest mean TP, FP, and BP contents were found in an emmer cultivar, while generally, einkorn varieties had lower phytonutrient values than emmer and bread wheat control. Emmer had the highest TPA, FPA, and BPA contents, followed by control wheat and einkorn landraces. Our gap-filling research was the analysis of the individual PA values in all free and bound fractions. Ferulic acid was the predominant phenolic acid, followed by p-coumaric acid, syringic acid, sinapic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, whereas salicylic acid and caffeic acid had the lowest concentrations. In the future, we propose to continue this research to gain deeper insights into the changes in phytonutrient properties related to the growing conditions of these cultivars.

Keywords: ancient wheat; einkorn; emmer; organic farming; antioxidants; phenolic compounds; phenolic acids (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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