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Lignans, Total Phenols and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Cereal Grains Compared to Flaxseed

Among broad spectrum of known phenolics, there is a class of non-steroidal estrogenic compounds called phytoestrogens, including lignans as one of the subgroup compounds. Besides the (anti)estrogen effect, lignans are thought to possess antioxidant activity. The richest known source of food lignans is flaxseed. Thus, in this work we determined the lignan content, total phenols and antioxidant activity of selected cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, and oat) and compared them with flaxseed as the potential enriching ingredient in bakery products. Lignans were quantified by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD), total phenols determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant capacity evaluated using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. The results show that cereal grains contain more than two hundred times lower amount of lignans than flaxseed, but contain lignan syringaresinol that was not detected in flaxseed. Total phenolic content in cereal grain was found to be in range 256 ± 2.4 to 408 ± 3.6 mg ferulic acid equivalent/100 g, while in flaxseed was 1286 ± 146.8 mg ferulic acid equivalent/100 g. Additionally, flaxseed showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging capacity compared to cereals. The addition of flaxseed could contribute to the overall functional aspect of the bakery products by increasing the level of health promoting components. Future work will show the limits of use, considering the flaxseed laxative properties, content of cyanogenic glucosides and influence on product textural and sensory properties.

cereals; flaxseed; lignans; total phenolic content; antioxidant capacity

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