Cereal Chem 66:11-14   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Fractionation and Evaluation of Triticale Pentosans: Comparison with Wheat and Rye.

H. S. Saini and R. J. Henry. Copyright 1989 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The pentosan content of six varieties of triticale was compared with two varieties of wheat and two of rye. Pentosans were fractionated into those soluble in cold water, hot water, ammonium oxalate/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 5% NaOH, 15% NaOH, and residue fractions. The pentose content of fractions was determined by acid hydrolysis, conversion of monosaccharides to alditol acetates, and gas chromatography. Total pentose (arabinose + xylose) recoveries in all fractions averaged 12.2% for rye, 7.4% for triticale, and 6.6% for wheat. These values were higher than those obtained by direct analysis of whole grain. About half of the pentosan was in the 5% NaOH soluble fraction. The residue fraction contained a much higher proportion of arabinose. The higher pentosan content of triticale may contribute to its nutritional quality being inferior to that of wheat.