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FIGURE 6.14
Structures of the lignans, matairesinol, and 7-hydroxymatairesinol.
6.10 LIGNANS AS GERMINATION INHIBITORS OF WHEAT
Examination of wheat varieties indicate the presence of phenolic compounds includ-
ing simple phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lignans. For example, in a study examining
bran extracts of 16 cereal species, these species were analyzed for lignan content by
high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The lignan,
7-hydroxymatairesinol, was the dominant lignan in wheat, together with syringar-
esinol. Wheat and rye bran had the highest lignan content of all cereals.
It should be noted that the traits that improve wheat as a food source also
involve the loss of the plant's natural seed dispersal mechanisms. In fact, the highly
HISTORICAL NOTE
Wheat has always provided an important source of vegetable protein in human
food. The grain is easily cultivated, particularly on a large scale, and can be
stored after harvest. This source of food enabled settlements to be established
at the start of civilization as populations grew in the Babylonian and Assyrian
empires, known as the “Fertile Crescent.” The three main cash crop cereals in
the world today are rice, maize, and wheat (
Triticum
spp.), which accounted
for over 680 million tons in 2009.
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