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Detection, Localization, and Variability of Endogenous β-Glucanase in Wheat Kernels

¹Department of Food Science, Ontario College of Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1. ²Corresponding author. Phone: (519) 824-4120 ext. 52624. Fax: (519) 824-6631. E-mail: sragaee@uoguelph.ca ³Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph Food Research Centre, Guelph, ON N1G 5C9.

Clinical studies with isolates of β-glucan have shown that the health benefits are regulated not only by the polysaccharide concentration but also by the molecular weight and concentration in solution, because these health benefits are controlled, inter alia, by viscosity in the gut. The degradation of β-glucan in baked products is likely caused by baking ingredients or processes, or by endogenous enzymes in wheat flour. The objectives of the present study were to quantify β-glucanase in wheat kernels and to determine factors that influence the levels of this enzyme. A modified protocol to quantify β-glucanase was developed and then confirmed through high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) with Calcofluor detection. Under this protocol, it was shown that the concentration of β-glucanase activity was the highest in the bran fraction of the kernel in ungerminated wheats, whereas it was distributed throughout the entire kernel following germination. Furthermore, investigation on different wheat cultivars planted in the same and different locations showed that genotype, environment, and agronomic practice all can have an effect on β-glucanase activity level in wheat kernels.