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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Grain Quality and Structure Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #378296
Research Project: Measurement and Improvement of Hard Winter Wheat End-Use Quality Traits

Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research

Title: Rapid determination of total phenolic content of whole wheat flour using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

Author
item TIAN, WENFEI - Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center-Hays
item CHEN, GENGJUN - Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center-Hays
item ZHANG, GUORONG - Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center-Hays
item WANGC, DONGHAI - Kansas State University
item Tilley, Michael - Mike
item LI, YONGHUI - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2020
Publication Date: 5/15/2021
Citation: Tian, W., Chen, G., Zhang, G., Wangc, D., Tilley, M., Li, Y. 2021. Rapid determination of total phenolic content of whole wheat flour using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128633.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128633

Interpretive Summary: Growing evidence has indicated that whole wheat products may have the benefits of reducing risks of some chronic diseases and cancers. Phenolic compounds that occur in the wheat bran are the main molecules that contribute to the health benefits of whole wheat products. These phenolic compounds exhibit potential antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects. Consumers desire food products rich in bioactive compounds and this has stimulated research on wheat phenolics and their potential health benefits. Wheat breeders and producers are also becoming more interested in wheat lines with enriched phenolic compounds in addition to besides conventional targets such as disease and pest resistance, grain yield, protein content, and milling and baking quality. Many different assays have been developed to evaluate the potential antioxidant benefits of wheats. The most common assay for measuring total phenolic content (TPC) involves a series of steps using several chemicals and reagents in a process that is extensively labor-intensive and time-consuming and therefore not effective for screening and selection large numbers of samples. To facilitate further research and applications of wheat bioactive compounds, a rapid and accurate method for determination of wheat TPC was developed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). NIR is non-destructive method that requires minimal sample preparation and is easy to use. The NIR method for TPC of whole wheat flour demonstrated R2 values of 0.92 and 0.90 for calibration and validation sets, respectively. Compared with conventional wet chemistry methods, the NIR model is more efficient, eco-friendly and less labor-intensive. Wheat breeding programs and other programs that require fast screening and selection of wheat lines with enriched phenolic compounds will benefit greatly from this new technique.

Technical Abstract: Phenolic compounds in whole wheat products provide many health benefits. Wheat breeders, producers, and end-users are becoming increasingly interested in wheats with higher total phenolic content (TPC). However, conventional methods for determining wheat TPC are costly and labor-intensive. The objective of this research was to develop rapid method using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for TPC prediction in whole wheat flour. In this study, partial least square regression was used for NIR model development. A total of 81 samples were used as calibration set, and 26 samples were used as validation set. The spectra ranging from 10000 to 4000 cm-1 were used for model development. Spectra pre-treatment techniques were performed prior to the model development. The optimal regression model with 7 latent variables demonstrated R2 values of 0.92 and 0.90 for the calibration and validation sets, respectively, and a residual prediction deviation value of 3.4. Compared to the conventional approach, the NIR method avoids the tedious extraction and TPC assay procedures, making it more convenient and cost-effective. Meanwhile, the NIR method achieves comparable accuracy as the conventional method. This new analytical method can significantly accelerate the screening and selection of wheat genotypes with promising total phenolic content, especially, when large number of samples need to be analyzed.