Diferuloylputrescine and p-Coumaroyl-feruloylputrescine--corn bran and corn fiber contain high levels of these polyamine conjugates.

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2001 AACC Annual Meeting

Charlotte, North Carolina
October 14-18, 2001
Charlotte Convention Center

192
Diferuloylputrescine and p-Coumaroyl-feruloylputrescine--corn bran and corn fiber contain high levels of these polyamine conjugates. R. A. MOREAU (1), A. Nuñez (1), and V. Singh (2). (1) Eastern Regional Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038 and (2) Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61801.

Extraction of corn bran or corn fiber with polar solvents such as methylene chloride, ethanol, or chloroform-methanol yielded common lipids and two unknown HPLC peaks, each with a UV absorbance maximum at 320 nm. HPLC-mass spectrometry revealed that the unknowns were diferuloylputrescine (DFP) and p-coumaroyl-feruloylputrescine (CFP). When compared to extracts of corn fiber (a pericarp enriched fraction from the wet milling of corn), comparable extracts of corn bran (a pericarp enriched fraction from the dry milling of corn) yielded 3 to 8-fold higher levels of DFP and CFP. Extraction of corn bran or fiber with an accelerated solvent extractor revealed that elevated temperatures greatly enhanced the extraction of DFP and CFP by methylene chloride and ethanol. "Corn bran oil," prepared by extraction of corn bran with hot methylene chloride contained 14 wt% DFP and 3 wt% CFP. However, when hot hexane was used as a solvent, no DFP or CFP were detected in the extracts. DFP and CFP were also detected in hot methylene chloride extracts of whole ground corn kernels, but were not detected in comparable extracts of wheat, sorghum, millet, or rice. Because it has been suggested that polyamine conjugates such as DFP and CFP may function as natural pesticides, a rapid method was developed to purify them so that their biological activity could be evaluated.