Phenolic Compounds of Wheat. Their Content, Antioxidant Capacity and Bioaccessibility

The importance of wheat has mainly been attributed to its ability to be ground into flour and semolina that form the basic ingredients of bread and pasta, respectively, while bran is mainly used for animal feeding. However, many epidemiological studies have demonstrated that health beneficial effects of whole wheat were attributed to the bioactive factors in bran and aleurone, such as non-digestible carbohydrates and phytochemicals. Among health-promoting phytochemicals residing in whole grains of wheat, phenolic compounds have gained much attention in many scientific research areas, as they have strong antioxidant properties. Phenolic acids and flavonoids represent the most common form of phenolic compounds found in whole wheat grains, and they are among the major and most complex groups of phytochemicals with a number of types that exist as soluble free compounds, soluble conjugates that are esterified to sugars and other low molecular mass compounds, and insoluble bound forms. Due to its strong antioxidant activity, possess anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic activity and diabetes alleviation properties and could be associated with cardiovascular disease prevention, obesity and aging control.