Alkylresorcinol content in whole grains and pearled fractions of wheat and barley

• Progressive pearling is an useful strategy to obtain well defined fractions of high functional properties.
• In wheat, ARs are prevalently located in the 5–10% intermediate fraction.
• In hull-less barley, ARs progressively decrease from the outermost kernel fractions.
• Hulled barley showed the highest AR content in the 10–15% intermediate fraction.
• Alkylresorcinol (AR) content was determined using a gas chromatographic method.

The aim of this work was to investigate the content and the composition of alkylresorcinols (ARs) in different wheat and barley cultivars, and in fractions obtained by progressive pearling. Three commercial winter wheats, characterized by different hardness and technological quality, and three barleys, including hulled and hull-less types, were selected. Two different protocols of sequential pearling were applied. Pearling of wheat and hull-less barley cultivars gave five fractions (each corresponding to 5% of grain weight) and 75% of the residue. In the case of hulled barley eight pearled fractions and 60% of inner kernel were obtained. In wheat ARs were prevalently located in the 5–10% intermediate fraction, while for barley results varied depending on the cultivar. In the hull-less cultivar, the AR content progressively decreased from the outermost fraction (0–5%) towards the inner layers, while for hulled barley the highest AR content was observed in the 10–15% fraction, evidencing lower amounts in the coarse hull (included in the 0–5% and 5–10% fractions). Based on the different localization of ARs in the cereal kernel, progressive pearling can be employed to obtain enriched fractions that could be used to enhance ingredients and products rich in these bioactive compounds.