Phytosterols in wheat genotypes in the HEALTHGRAIN Diversity Screen.

The phytosterol contents of 130 winter wheat, 20 spring wheat, 10 durum wheat, 5 spelt, 5 einkorn, and 5 emmer wheat genotypes, grown at the same location in the same year, were analyzed with gas chromatography. Considerable variation was observed in total phytosterol contents in all wheat types. The total sterol contents ranged from 670 to 959 microg/g of dm in winter wheat and from 797 to 949 microg/g of dm in spring wheat. The highest sterol contents were found in spelt, durum wheat, and einkorn wheat. The proportions of the main phytosterols also varied substantially among the different genotypes. The most abundant phytosterol in all wheat genotypes was sitosterol (40-61% of total sterols), whereas the highest variation was seen in total stanols (7-31% of total sterols). The comprehensive data set produced in this study constitutes a valuable basis for plant breeding and selection of phytosterol-rich genotypes.