Relation between polyphenol profile and antioxidant capacity of different Argentinean wheat varieties. A Boosted Regression Trees study

- Polyphenol profile is reported for the first time in Argentinean wheat varieties.
- Antioxidant capacity is also studied for the first time in these wheat varieties.
- ACA 315 was the variety that showed the highest antioxidant capacity.
- Diferulic acids were key polyphenols in relation to the antioxidant activity.
- BRT analysis was useful to match antioxidant capacity with polyphenol profile.

We report the polyphenol profile and antioxidant capacity (AC) of 12 Argentinean wheat varieties from different regions. The polyphenol profile was studied by HPLC-MS. The AC was measured by TEAC and FRAP. Twenty-five polyphenols were identified. ACA 315 and KLEIN GUERRERO varieties showed the highest content of polyphenols, whereas BIOINTA 3004, KLEIN CAPRICORNIO and LE 2330 showed the lowest one. ACA 315 presented the highest AC, while BIOINTA 3004 and KLEIN CAPRICORNIO showed the lowest one. Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) analyses helped finding significant correlations between AC and polyphenol profile, being hydroxybenzoic acid diglucoside, tryptophan, chrysoeriol-6,8-di-C-pentoside and isomers 4, 5, 9 and 12 of diferulic acids key compounds to explain the observed AC. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the interaction between the environment and wheat genotypes evaluated by BRT, showing how the whole polyphenol profile can explain the AC in wheat.