Analysis of mixed-linkage (1-3, 1-4)-β-D-glucan in Swedish cereal cultivars and bread

Abstract: β-glucans are unavailable carbohydrates and a dietary fiber that cannot be readily metabolized by our own bodies’ enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. They are instead metabolized by our microbiota in the large intestine, were they have multiple health benefits. They help with keeping the microbiota in balance and regulating our immune system. They have also been shown to have cholesterol lowering effects. β-glucans are found in cereals like barley, oat, rye, and wheat but they can also come from other sources like bacterial cell walls and fungi. However, depending on their origin, they have different structures and properties. β-glucans from cereals are linear polymers of β-(1→4)-D-glycopyranosyl units separated by single units of β-(1→3)-D-glycopyranosyl in a mixed linkage. The concentration of β-glucan is highly varied between cereal type as well as cultivar of the same cereal. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a difference in β-glucan content between commercial bread baked using traditional versus modern cereal cultivars. β-glucan was determined using the Megazyme assay kit, a method approved by the American association of cereal chemists (AACC) International. The method uses a highly specific enzymatic breakdown of β-glucan into D-glucose that can then be determined colorimetrically. The results for β-glucan showed high variation between different types of cereals and bread tested, were grains like barley and rye had higher β-glucan content compared to oat and wheat, showing clear health benefits to eating grains like barley and rye, over grains like wheat. The β-glucan content for cereals ranged from 0.30 – 3.66% of dry weight, whereas the different bread had β-glucan ranging from 0.31 – 1.14% of dry weight. There was no significant difference between modern versus traditional cultivars and therefore neither had any greater health benefits from a β-glucan content perspective. The daily consumption of β-glucan needed to show cholesterol lowering effects is 3g, which in this study mean that about 7.5 bread slices (about 300 g) of the highest β-glucan containing bread is needed to be eaten daily to achieve the daily intake goal.