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Policosanol Contents and Compositions in Wax-Like Materials Extracted from Selected Cereals of Korean Origin

¹Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Center for Healthcare Technology Development, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, 561-756, Korea. ²Corresponding author. Phone: +82-63-270-3857. Fax: +82-63-270-3854. E-mail: keum@chonbuk.ac.kr ³Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583.

Policosanols, long-chained alcohols, have been reported to have beneficial physiological activities. Content and composition of policosanols in wax-like materials extracted from selected cereals of Korean origin were determined. Wax-like materials were extracted using hot hexane. Yields of wax-like materials from unpolished grain sorghum, polished grain sorghum, brown rice, purple rice, wheat, and maize were 223, 37, 33, 61, 10, and 10 mg/100 g of dry kernels, respectively. Policosanol contents, as determined using HPLC, in the wax-like materials from the cereals were 33, 29, 6, 0, and 2% (w/w, db), respectively. Major alcohols in the policosanols from grain sorghum were octacosanol and triacontanol. Docosanol was the major alcohol in the policosanols from brown rice, purple rice, wheat, and maize.