Abstract
Cereal alkylresorcinols (ARs) are a group of phenolic lipids mainly found in the outer parts of grains of rye and wheat. They have been suggested for use as selective biomarkers for intake of whole grain and bran products of these cereals. Consumption of whole grains and whole grain products has been associated with reduced risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes type 2, obesity and some types of cancer. In this article a sensitive and rapid method of High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV detection for quantitative determination of ARs in the cereals grown in Latvia is described. Instrument detection limits (IDL) were determined for C17:0, C19:0 and C21:0 homologues (coefficient of variation < 3%). According to the results of these studies, ARs were found in rye (87.1-112.0 mg/100 g), wheat (24.0-40.2 mg/100 g), triticale (32.1-74.4 mg/100 g), and in small amounts in barley (2.2-3.7 mg/100 g), but not in oats.