Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities in covered whole-grain flours of Norwegian barley varieties and in fractions obtained after pearling

Phenolic contents and corresponding antioxidant activities were studied in covered whole-grain flours of Norwegian barley varieties and in two different pearling fractions. In covered whole-grain flours the summarized amount of phenolics (Σ-P) ranged from 481–676 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g dry matter (DM) and the corresponding total antioxidant activities (Σ-FRAP) between 6.1–8.7 mmol Fe3 +/100 g DM. About 50% of the phenolics in these samples were easily extractable (free). Upon pearling a general decrease in both Σ-P and Σ-FRAP was seen in the pearled samples, while the ratio between free and bound phenolics was similar or increased to those in the covered whole-grain samples. The hulls had the highest Σ-P and Σ-FRAP and were dominated by bound phenolics. Despite accounting for only 10–20% of the total grain weight, the hulls typically contributed to 45% of the total antioxidant capacity measured in the covered whole-grain flours. Pearling makes it possible to obtain barley fractions with different amounts of phenolics, different ratios of free and bound phenolics, and thus different antioxidant activities.