Cereal Chem. 70:157-162   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Genotype and Environment Effects on Tocols of Barley and Oats.

D. M. Peterson and A. A. Qureshi. Copyright 1993 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Grain of 12 oat and 30 barley genotypes, each from three locations, was analyzed for tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The objective was to assess the variation in levels of tocols among genotypes and locations. Significant genotype differences existed for most tocols in both species. Total tocol concentrations for genotypes ranged from 19 to 30 mg kg[-1] for oats and from 42 to 80 mg kg[-1] for barley. Location differences were significant for oats but not for barley. Only a small percentage of the variance was associated with the interaction of genotype and location. alpha-Tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol were the predominant tocol isomers in both species; beta- and gamma-tocotrienol were also present in significant amounts in barley. The major isomers of barley, but not of oats, were generally positively correlated with each other. The data indicate the feasibility of attempting to increase tocol concentration in these crops by hybridization and selection. That could lead to food products that might lower serum low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.