Comparison of metabolite profiles and policosanol contents in the sprout of Oriental wheat cultivars (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum)

Euna Choi^1,2Jisu Park^1,2Min-Jeong Hong¹Chang Hyun Jin¹Bo-Ram Kim³Bomi Nam³MinKyun Na^2*Yun-Seo Kil^4*Ah-Reum Han^5*

• ¹Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
• ²Chungnam National University College of Pharmacy, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
• ³Honam National Institute of Biological Resources, Mokpo-si, Republic of Korea
• ⁴Inje University, Gimhae-si, Republic of Korea
• ⁵Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Oriental wheat (Khorasan wheat; Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum; Poaceae) is a tetraploid wheat species recognized as a superfood due to its high fiber and nutrient density. In this study, the metabolite profiles of sprouts from four Oriental wheat cultivars, obtained from the Rural Development Administration's Genebank, were investigated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOFMS). Fourteen compounds were annotated, including eight compounds detected in T. turgidum ssp. turanicum for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) score plot and loading plots revealed distinct metabolite differences among the cultivars based on the country or region of collection. Moreover, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots and S-plots indicated that five flavonoid C-glycosides were differentially expressed in samples from Afghanistan, while five nitrogen-containing compounds were characteristic of samples from Türkiye. Feature-based molecular networking analysis further supported the identification of group-discriminatory metabolites and contributed to marker discovery. These findings provided insights into the phytochemical metabolism of Oriental wheat sprouts influenced by geographical conditions. Additionally, the quantification of policosanols in the four Oriental wheat samples was conducted using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for the first time. The total policosanol content ranged from 356.3 to 400.1 mg/100 g, highlighting the potential of Oriental wheat sprouts as a valuable dietary source of policosanols.