Influence of Genetic and Environmental Factors on Selected Nutritional Traits of <i>Triticum monococcum</i>

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of genotype, year, and location on protein, lipid, tocol, and lutein content and on fatty acids composition of wholemeal flour, five einkorns (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) and one control bread wheat were cropped in Italy for two years in four different locations. Genotype and year exerted major effects on protein, tocotrienol, and lutein contents, while tocopherol and lipid contents were influenced only by the genotype. The concentrations of linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids (the most abundant among the 14 fatty acids identified), as well as of saturated (SFA), monosaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, differed between einkorns and control and, to some extent, years were constant across locations. Notwithstanding the environmental variation, all einkorns consistently showed higher protein (on average, +59%), lipid (+50%), tocotrienol (+88%), total tocol (+46%), lutein (+483%), and MUFA (+53%) content, along with lower SFA (-21%) and PUFA (-8%) than the bread wheat control.