Nutritional Value, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Activity of Whole Wheat Grains and Their Brans

Whole grains, as food sources of bioactive phytochemicals, have significant antioxidant activity. The quality and nutritional and health beneficial properties of whole wheat cultivars depend mainly on genotype and climate conditions where the grain is produced. Therefore, three wheat cultivars: two dry‐farming cultivars (Ouhadi and Azar 2) in the Quchan area (to evaluate the genetic effect) and one irrigated cultivar (Pishgam) grown in different climate conditions (to determine the climate effect) were chosen to compare (i) phenolic content, tocopherol content, and antioxidant activity; (ii) fatty acid composition, saponins, and phytic acid; and (iii) antiproliferative effect on colon cancer. Grains produced under higher water stress showed higher phenolic and tocopherol contents and greater antioxidant activity. Pishgam cultivated in Neyshabur (3.09, 1.93 mg/g, and 37.63 μg/g phenolic, flavonoid, and tocopherol content) with 28.36% and Ouhadi (3.18, 2.26 mg/g, and 44.6 μg/g phenolic, flavonoid, and tocopherol content) with 20.09% had the most antioxidant activities compared to the others. However, the rainfall regimes through the growing season had a great impact on the investigated parameters. The variations in technological and nutritional traits among the cultivars are examined with respect to the impact of genetic and environmental influences. The results propose that whole‐grain wheat products may play a vital role in preserving a high level of antioxidants in the body, potentially aiding in the prevention of diseases associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and proliferative colon cancer.