Some Chemical and Physical Properties, Fatty Acid Composition and Bioactive Compounds of Wheat Germ Oils Extracted From Different Wheat Cultivars

Fatty acid composition, antioxidant activity, total phenolics and α-tocopherol contents of wheat germ oils obtained from two bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) and one durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) species commonly cultivated in Turkey were investigated in this study. Fourteen different fatty acids were determined in wheat germ oil samples in which linoleic acid (53.88-57.55%), oleic acid (16.56-20.38%) and palmitic acid (16.66-17.70%) were found as predominant fatty acid types. Among the major fatty acids, linoleic acid was the primary fatty acid in bread wheat germ oils whereas oleic and palmitic acids were the predominant fatty acids in durum wheat samples. The antioxidant activity of the wheat germ oil samples ranged between 0.94-1.01 μmol g-1 whereas the total phenolic and the α-tocopherol between 67.79-126.51 mg GAE 100 g-1 and 1343 to 2176 mg kg-1, respectively. The lowest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were detected in bread wheat germ oil while the other bread wheat and the durum wheat exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, respectively.