Analysis of mixed-linked (1→3), (1→4)-β-d-glucans in cereal grains from Turkey

In this study, (1→3), (1→4)-β- d -glucan content of some culture type cereal grains grown in Turkey, such as barley, wheat, oats, rye, corn, beans, peas and chick peas; and barley, wheat (white, shain, lanser), rye, orabyehis sativa (adi yonca in Turkish) and medicaga satien (adi korunga in Turkish) grown in the plant research institute of the faculty of Ataturk University in Erzurum (Turkey) were determined quantitatively by enzymatic methods. By using pure β- d -glucanase and β- d -glucosidase in the experiments, (1→3), (1→4)-glycosidic bonds of linear polysaccharides found in cell-wall endosperm of plant seeds were hydrolyzed and the resulting β- d -glucans were determined by glucose oxidase/peroxidase solution and measuring the absorbances at 510 nm in a UV-spectrophotometer. The β- d -glucan levels of cultured cereal grains were compared to those obtained from other countries. Mean whole grain β-glucan levels (dry weight basis) for each grain type analyzed in this study were barley, 3.6%, oats, 4.1%, rye, 1.4% and wheat, 0.8%, corns (I, II), 1.4%, 0.5%, beans (I, II) 2.9%, 2.8%, peas (I, II), 0.9% and 1.4% and chickpeas, 0.9%. β- d -Glucan levels of each grain type grown in the Plant Research Institute of Ataturk University analyzed in this study were: barley, 2.8%, rye, 0.9%, wheats (shain, white, lanser), 5.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, Orabyehis sativa , 1.4%, and Medicaga satien , 1.1%.