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Anthocyanin Content and Composition in Winter Blue Barley Cultivars and Lines

¹Semmelweis University, Department of Pharmacognosy, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary. ²Corresponding author. Phone/Fax: +36-1-317-29-79. E-mail: kurslasz@drog.sote.hu

This study focuses on the examination of the total anthocyanin content (TAC) and spectrum of winter barley cultivars with blue caryopsis. Preparation of grain samples was simplified, and extraction was performed with 85% methanol acidified by 1% trifluoroacetic acid. Compared with our previous tests performed with 1% hydrochloric acid in aqueous methanol, the extraction process resulted in higher total anthocyanin content with more acylated derivatives. The TAC measured by spectrophotometry varied in two blue Hungarian cultivars and two lines from 46.9 to 84.4 mg/kg. The anthocyanin spectrum was analyzed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The predominant anthocyanins were delphinidin-3-malonylglucoside and cyanidin-3-malonylglucoside, followed by delphinidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside. The caryopsis retains the anthocyanins in long-term storage. The TAC values of the crops over the last 10 years were definable retroactively. The relative abundance of the main anthocyanin components in grains of different harvest years (2000 and 2010) was similar. Statistical analysis revealed a relatively strong negative correlation (r = –0.7439, P < 0.05) between two variables: TAC and rainfall during the grain-ripening period.