1: J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 6;53(7):2751-2759. 

Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) as a Source of Breadmaking Flours and Bran
Naturally Enriched in Oleic Acid and Minerals but Not Phytic Acid.

Ruibal-Mendieta NL, Delacroix DL, Mignolet E, Pycke JM, Marques C, Rozenberg R,
Petitjean G, Habib-Jiwan JL, Meurens M, Quetin-Leclercq J, Delzenne NM,
Larondelle Y.

Unite de biochimie de la nutrition, Universite catholique de Louvain, Croix du
Sud 2/8, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Moulin de Hollange, Rue de Chaumont 5,
6637 Fauvillers, Belgium; Institut Paul Lambin, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs 43,
1200 Bruxelles, Belgium; Unite de pharmacocinetique, metabolisme, nutrition et
toxicologie, Universite catholique de Louvain, Avenue E. Mounier 73, 1200
Bruxelles, Belgium; Laboratoire de spectrometrie de masse, Universite catholique
de Louvain, Place L. Pasteur 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; and Laboratoire
de pharmacognosie, Universite catholique de Louvain, Avenue E. Mounier 72, 1200
Bruxelles, Belgium.

The nutritional value of breadmaking cereal spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp.
spelta) is said to be higher than that of common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp.
vulgare), but this traditional view is not substantiated by scientific evidence.
In an attempt to clarify this issue, wholemeal and milling fractions (sieved
flour, fine bran, and coarse bran) from nine dehulled spelt and five soft winter
wheat samples were compared with regard to their lipid, fatty acid, and mineral
contents. In addition, tocopherol (a biochemical marker of germ) was measured in
all wholemeals, whereas phytic acid and phosphorus levels were determined in
fine bran and coarse bran samples after 1 month of storage. Results showed that,
on average, spelt wholemeals and milling fractions were higher in lipids and
unsaturated fatty acids as compared to wheat, whereas tocopherol content was
lower in spelt, suggesting that the higher lipid content of spelt may not be
related to a higher germ proportion. Although milling fractionation produced
similar proportions of flour and brans in spelt and wheat, it was found that
ash, copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus contents were higher in spelt
samples, especially in aleurone-rich fine bran and in coarse bran. Even though
phosphorus content was higher in spelt than in wheat brans, phytic acid content
showed the opposite trend and was 40% lower in spelt versus wheat fine bran,
which may suggest that spelt has either a higher endogenous phytase activity or
a lower phytic acid content than wheat. The results of this study give important
indications on the real nutritional value of spelt compared to wheat. Moreover,
they show that the Ca/Fe ratio, combined with that of oleate/palmitate, provides
a highly discriminating tool to authenticate spelt from wheat flours and to face
the growing issue of spelt flour adulteration. Finally, they suggest that
aleurone differences, the nature of which still needs to be investigated, may
account for the differential nutrient composition of spelt and wheat.

PMID: 15796621 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]