Cereal Chem 42:437 - 451.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Some Effects of High Levels of Gamma Irradiation on the Lipids of Wheat.

K. H. Tipples and F. W. Norris. Copyright 1965 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Gamma irradiation produced small changes in the lipid fractions of irradiated wheat. Linoleic and linolenic acids decreased slightly, but only significantly so, at the very high irradiation level of 10(7) rads. Unesterified acids appeared to be more susceptible to radiation damage than esterified acids. Carotenoids and the antioxidant tocopherols decreased with increasing irradiation. Nevertheless, on storage of the milled wheat, linoleic and linolenic acids were autoxidized more slowly in the irradiated samples than in the control. Lipids of irradiated wheat had a higher peroxide value than those of unirradiated wheat. On storage of the flour, lipids of unirradiated wheat showed a gradual increase in peroxide value, whereas lipids of irradiated wheat did not show the same extent of increase. Silicic acid fractionation of flour lipids indicated that irradiation caused a decrease in triglyceride, galactolipid, and phospholipid, and an increase in free sterol, monoglyceride, and diglyceride.