A comparison study of ancient and modern wheat: Characterization and sensory analysis of an ancient Anatolian wheat Triticum dicoccum (Kavilca) grown in Kars, Türkiye

Abstract

Abstract The ancient wheat varieties have been ignored due to efforts to increase the yield of modern wheat. In recent years, interest in ancient wheat has increased for various reasons. This study aimed to characterize the ancient Anatolian wheat Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum (Kavilca) from Kars, Türkiye and to compare it with modern bread wheat Triticum aestivum in terms of quality parameters, mineral and fatty acid profile, total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity (TAA). Quality parameters were conducted with standardized methods. Mineral and fatty acid profiles were determined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and gas chromatography, respectively. Spectrophotometric methods were used to determine TFC and TAA. Triangular test and Quantitative Descriptive Profile method were applied for sensory analyses. Novel findings of this study were low gluten quality (p < 0.05), low Al content (2.85–5.16 mg/kg dw, p < 0.05), and high TFC (3.65 mg RE/g dw, p < 0.05) of Kavilca along with similar overall liking sensory score (p > 0.05) compared to modern bread. There was a strong sensory difference with a 99.9% probability between modern and 15% Kavilca added bread. Characterization and especially, sensory analysis results might be a reference for the food industry to integrate Kavilca into several bakery products.